The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina (2024)

May 22, 1979

Publication:

The Charlotte Observeri

Location:

Charlotte, North Carolina

Issue Date:

Tuesday, May 22, 1979

Page:

22

Extracted Article Text (OCR)

0(i Tups May 22 1979 Harris-Teeter Strikers Start Relur mng pany's allegations were without merit Godfrey Bennett personnel vice president of the company which has rehired most of the 132 union members said it is appealing the NLRB ruling the appropriate federal court" In an earlier decision the NIRB ordered the company to rehire four workers fired for union activity and give them back pay The four men were rehired in September 1977 and given checks ranging from $6101 to $13358 The union also says the company owes about $500000 in back pay to workers who were eventually rehired after the first strike from November 1976 to February 1977 The company disputes the figure A union statement issued Saturday after the back-to-work deci December 1978 order by Robert Romano an NLRB administrative law judge Romano ordered Harris-Teeter to stop certain labor practices he characterized as unfair such as threatening to fire employes for union activity and giving raises to persuade workers not to strike And he ordered the company to rehire 132 workers and give them back pay Union officials said the NLRB ruling vindicated their position that the company had engaged in unfair labor practices in the dispute which began in 1975 with the union's initial attempts to organize Harris-Teeter warehouse workers The company charged that Romano was biased and prejudiced in favor of the union In upholding Romano the NLRB said the com By BOB DENNIS Obsrvr SliH Writer Striking Harris-Teeter warehouse workers will begin returning to work Thursday ending the second walkout against the Charlotte-based supermarket chain in four years Officials of the Meat Food and Allied Workers Local 525 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen called off the strike over the weekend The strike began May 13 when about 100 union members walked off the job to protest what the union called and un-remedied labor law violations and unfair labor The union decision to return to work followed a May 10 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Washington upholding a Surge Of Power KOs Ma Bell In Gastonia Thursday workers Friday Company and union officials are scheduled to iiippI Wednesday wilh federal mediators to resume contract negotiations Bennett said Monday the strike had failed to disrupt operations at the warehouse or affect sales at Harris-Teeter's 76 supermarkets The union has been trying to gotialc a contract with iiarris-Tce-ter since 1975 when the union won an election at the warehouse 163-116 The company has resisted union organizing efforts which led the union to file numerous unfair labor practice charges against the company Last week the union filed a complaint with the NlRR plunging the company with another unfair labor practice and accusing it of bargaining in bad faith Slunly OKs Civic Ceil I cr College Pays Continued from Page IB we make concessions on both Byrd told the commissioners Byrd said the 12-tnember hoard of trusters would discuss the commissioners' decision Thursday 41-yrar-old armory on North Third Street has its said Lt Col Elbert McPhaul a chief engineer with the NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety McPhaul who ovprsees the National Guard's construction projects said Monday the armory lacks enough outside parking and storage space for the local National Guard vehicles and equipment Renovating the building would he too expensive McPhaul said major problem is outlasted its usefulness for the Nalion-al Guard" McPhaul said doesn't meet our storage or training needs" McPhaul said he hopes the armory's construction will be under way by late 1979 or early 1980 sion said that in view of the NLRB ruling it was asking officials of Harris-Teeter and its parent firm Ruddick Corp re-examine their position on past present and future law violations and implement Judge Romano's order" Furthermore the union said a show of good faith" it was making an unconditional offer to return to work Under federal labor law a strike by a recognized union is a protected strike that is the company is required to take back striking union workers after they offer to return to work without conditions Bennett said strikers who worked the second and third shifts at the warehouse should report for work Thursday and first-shift Observer Illustration By GARY BURNETTE was caused by telephone company equipment was all us" he said blame it on Duke" Howard said when the phone company discovers what caused the power surge it will install a system to prevent another similar failure may take us several days to figure it he said was a mess I tell Exposure Barney Watkins of Rt 3 Their ages ranged from 16 to 20 Cook said Diane Ivey 19 of 604 Curtis St was arrested for aiding and abetting indecent exposure he said The case will be heard in district court May 29 Two 15-year-old juveniles a hoy and a girl also were charged in connection with the Squad Southern Bell sent mobile telephones to the fire station and to both Gastonia and Gaston County police headquarters Police emergency call boxes worked throughout the morning not fail-safe Boyd Howard public relations manager for Southern Bell's Gastonia office said "We said it couldn't happen but it proved to us it could" At 10:30 am 19 minutes before city phonps crackled hack to life Dave Williamson manager of the residence department of Southern Bell said he was miffed about what had happened got the same problem as anybody else" Williamson said get to a phone to find out Bell discovered the service interruption when it opened its customer service department at 9 am and no calls came in Barbara Batchler secretary to City Manager Gary Hicks said she Youths Charged With HE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Carolina Watch Judge Extends Order Barring HEW Fund Cut US District Judge Franklin Dupree Jr Monday extended a temporary restraining order barring the Department of Health Education and Welfare (HEW) from cutting off funds to the University of North Carolina system Dupree extended the order until June 11 while he studies the dispute between UNC and HEW over desegregation of the 16-campus university system Both sides agreed to the extension Dupree issued the temporary restraining order April 26 and extended it 10 days ago The university system stands to lose about $89 million if HEW cuts off funds Seduction Charged The estranged wife of Greensboro television reporter David Boleik has sued Teamsters organizer Vicki Saporta for $150000 foi-sallegedly seducing her husband to gain favorable publicity Joanne Bolick's alientation of affection Suit filed last week in Rockingham County Superior Court charges Ms Saporta 27 gave Boliek a WFMY-TV reporter gifts money and job offers Boliek reported on Ms Sapor-la's successful campaign to organize five plants in Davidson County last summer Ms Saporta and Boliek deny the charges 3 Life Sentences Marine Sgt James McKee 25 was sentenced in Duplin County Superior Court to three concurrent life sentences after pleading guilty to second-degree murder kidnaping and armed robbery McKee of Salma Ala was charged in the Sept 12 slaying of convenience store clerk Gloria Bouknight 18 Authorities found her body in a ravine inside the Camp Lejeune Military Reservation a few miles from the store McKee's trial was shifted to Duplin County from Onslow County where Camp Lejeune is located because of publicity Crime Conference A national conference on crime control organized for the National Association by Gov Jim Hunt will be held May 30-June 1 in Arlington Va Sen Edward Kennedy D-Mass is slated 1o speak June 1 About 300 advisers to governors will attend the conference Hunt said the purpose of the conference is to discuss approaches to controlling crime and improving the criminal justice system Turnipseed Honored SC state Sen Tom Turnipseed the colorful populist who dropped out of South Carolina's Democratic primary for governor last year was honored at a Washington reception Monday to help pay his $80000 campaign debt Turnipseed entertained those who paid $100 a person by singing Gas You Can Kiss My Trash" In the audience was Sen Edward Kennedy D-Mass who Turnipseed once a key campaign aide to former Alabama Gov Geroge Wallace privately encouraged to run for president Ex-Foolball Player Draws New Fans Ernie Barnes left North Carolina in 1960 to play pro football first with the New York Titans and later with the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos He's back for a visit as a professional artist An exhibit of his work starts Sunday at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh Barnes 40 who was born and raised in Durham graduated from North Carolina Central University The 260-pound art career began in 1967 when he found himself out of football and virtually penniless Barron Hilton owner of the Chargers paid him $500 to paint a picture of a Charger player His art is seen on ABC "Good Times" although the painting is attributed to JJ Evans a character on the show In Charlotte-Mccklcnburg Students Tests: Parents of first second third sixth and ninth graders in the Charlotte-Mecklcnburg school system will receive their children's California Achievement Test results when students take the results home Wednesday Systemwide and statewide results will be announced later Edited by Al Johnson DOCKET NO M-100 SUB 20 BEFORE THE NORTH CAROLINA UTILITIES COMMISSION Obsrvr Monret Bureou WAXHAW Ten Monroe youths eight boys and two girls were arrested Sunday evening on charges stemming from indecent exposure at a self-service gasoline station in Waxhaw Department spokesmen said a pickup carrying youths ranging in age from 15 to 20 was parked at the gas station when a man his wife and two children drove up beside them about 7:30 pm Witnesses said the boys then decided to have a contest of urinating NRC Probing Duke Da la Continued from Fage IB neer said Duke made errors in the design of the spent fuel pool the roof of the auxiliary building next to the reactor containment the reactor supports steam generator supports and concrete expansion anchors Duke denied each allegation and the NRC inspection confirmed the position on each Priory said the engineer's questions probably resulted because he was not in a position to know all the facts about each item The engineer had told the NRC he had first-hand knowledge about the problems In the Matter of Investigation and Rulemaking Re- lating to Advertising Expenditures and What May Be Included As a Utility Bill Insert NOTICE OF HEARING By WAYNE NICHOLAS Observer Gastonia Bureau GASTONIA An unexplained power surge knocked out Southern Bell in Gastonia Monday and 40000 telephones fell silent for nearly two hours It was the longest phone service interruption in history Fire fighters with binoculars climbed to the roofs of the seven-story Commercial Building in downtown Gastonia and to the top of the equally tall Gaston Memorial Hospital From there they scanned the city of 50000 for signs of smoke Four fire engines and three fire department cars rolled through city streets patrolling for fires during the phone silence which lasted from 9:04 am until 10:49 am No fires were found kind of Acting Fire Chief Bob Murray said "This is like an old-tintey fire watch" Police cars were stationed at the hospital and at the Gaston Rescue Piedmont Notebook 2 Wadeshoro Teens Charged In Vandalism Two Wadeshoro teenage boys were charged Monday with last fall's vandalism and arson of Anson Junior High School The boys age 13 and 14 are charged with vandalizing the school Aug 20 the day before the school term was to have started About $18000 damage was done to equipment and the building Anson County Sheriff Tommy Allen said The incident delayed the opening of school one day The 14-year-old also was charged in connection with a fire at the school Sept 2 which caused $30000 to $35000 damage The fire was started in the main office where three stacks of trash apparently were lit Although the flames did not spread beyond the office area smoke damage made it necessary for most of the building to be repainted Both youths are expected to have a hearing in juvenile court this week Plans May Be Delayed Union County plans to restore the old courthouse may be put on hold for a year when federal grant money can be sought Jane Miller who locates grants for municipalities through the Cen-tralina Council of Governments told the commissioners Monday night that several grants the council might seek be available until next year because application deadlines have passed The courthouse built in 1886 has been vacant since 1972 when a new courthouse was built Commissioners allocated $50000 May 7 to begin repairs on the first floor of the two-story Victorian building which will be used for a law library and museum The board considered appropriating another $50000 for renovations on the second floor but wanted to get information about grants before deciding Mrs Miller cited eight possible grants the largest being $30000 The county would have to match any of the grants Footnote Joint Meeting Planned: The Union County and Monroe City school boards will hold a joint meeting at 7:30 pm Thursday at the Sun Valley Restaurant Brcause the case was dismissed District Attorney Peter Gilchrist was able to seek another indictment on the same charge Gilchrist complained that his staff and the local courts couldn't handle cases fast enough to comply with the law State Sen Crafg Lawing D-Mecklenburg said at the time it might be necessary to change the law to avoid similar dismissals although no legislation has been introduced to repeal or change the law Nancy Brachcy thought she might be having an unusually quiet morning until she discovered the phones working But she found out interoffice telephones were working and soon her phone was jangling with calls from City Hall workers reporting the outside lines weren't functioning Howard said the power surge Duke Power Co's fault but on the gas pumps Union County Deputy Bob Cook said Witnesses said one boy urinated while standing on top of a gas pump A witness went to a nearby store and called Waxhaw police who arrived before the youths left They and sheriff's deputies made the arrests Charged with indecent exposure are: Andy Williams of 601 Wpst Park St Austin Cook Jr of 207 Charles St: Russell Everhart of Rt 3 Johnny Pope of 1480 Iceman St Rickie Thompson of 102 Shute St Ronnie Nash of 604 Curtis St and TINKER'S AtfAGON is NOW OPEN! Arts Crafts and Gifts Opening Hours: 10-6 Wed-Fri 10-4 Sat Hwy 49 North (Next to Koleb's Kitchen) Harrisburg NC Phone 455-5515 Ol is CHARLOTTE 536-3635 BY THE COMMISSION: The North Carolina Utilities Commission is conducting an investigation into the subjects of utility bill inserts and utility advertising for the purpose of formulating general rules to govern these subjects The Public Staff the Attorney General the utilities and other intervenors filed proposed rules and comments in this proceeding on March 1 1979 and the Commission has set a public hearing in this docket for the purpose of receiving testimony and comments from the public and oral argument from the parties This hearing will be held for the purpose of decidinq whether the Commission should promulgate rules restricting bill inserts and advertising and the legal and constitutional problems involved in making such rules Pursuant to the requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) the Commission will also consider whether electric and gas utilities may recover expenditures for promotional or political advertising from ratepayers rather than being required to charge said expenditures to their shareholders (or other owners) Public hearing will begin on Tuesday September 18 1979 at 10:00 am in the Commission Hearing Room Dobbs Building 430 North Salisbury Street Raleigh North Carolina Receipt of testimony from members of the public will be the first order of business The Public Staff is authorized by statute to repiescnt the using and consuming public in proceedings before the Commission Written statements to the Public Staff should include any information which the writer wishes to be considered by the Public Staff in its investigation of the matter and such statements should be addressed to Hon Hugh A Wells Executive Director of the Public Staff North Carolina Utilities Commission Box 991 Raleigh North Carolina 27602 The Attorney General is also authorized by statute to represent the using and consuming public in proceedings before the Commission Statements to the Attorney General should be addressed to Honorable Rufus I Edmisten Attorney General co Utilities Division Box 620 Raleigh North Carolina 27602 This the 24th day of April 1979 NORTH CAROLINA UTILITIES COMMISSION (Sg) Sandra Webster Chief Clerk (SEAL) FOLGER BUICK THE CAROLINA'S LARGEST BUICK DEALER IS OUT TO DELIVER 200 NEW BUICKS ALL FULLY PREPPED AND READY TO ROLL WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS CHOOSE FROM A BIG SELECTION OF ELECTRAS LeSABRES ESTATE WAGONS CENTURY WAGONS AND 90 REGALS ALL AT PRE-INCREASE PRICES TAKE DELIVERY SAME DAY SAME HOUR IF POSSIBLE IT'S ONE THING TO BUY A CAR IT'S ANOTHER THING TO TAKE DELIVERY NOW YOU CAN DURING "TAKE DELIVERY" AT FOLGER BUICK IT'S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Man Indicted Again For Assault ItSa Step in UiecRigltcDii6ctjon Troy Eugene Moss 46 whose release last month triggered out- cries against the state's new speedy trial law was indicted again Monday by a Mecklenburg grand jury on the same charge of assault with intent to kill his daughter Moss is accused of shooting his 21-year-old daughter Chcri Moss Williams last August The first indictment was dismissed last month by Superior Court Judge Frank Sncpp because Moss was not brought to trial within 120 days as required by the new law EAST INDEPENDENCE AT IDLEWILD.

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