1996-06-12; Central Michigan Life

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Central I ICC
Michigan -LirC
WEDNESDAY,
JUNE 12,
1996
VOLUME 78, NUMBER 91
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN 48859
©1996 CM LIFE
(517)774-3493
10 PAGES
AFSCME, ARAMARK to resubmit bids for Dining Services
By Cindy Trombley
LIFE Editor  	
Both the American Federation of
State, County and Municipal
Employees and ARAMARK will have
the opportunity to resubmit bids on the
labor portion of food services.
After arbitrator Mark J. Glaser
deemed CMU's Jan. 15 decision to subcontract the labor portion of Dining
Services to ARAMARK, the national
firm that has managed CMU's food service since 1995, "unreasonable," the
university announced it would reconsider AFSCME's original proposal.
The arbitrator's decision nullified
CMU's prior plans to award ARAMARK
the contract beginning in 1997.
CMU officials met May 8, IS, 21 and
22, but an agreement could not be
reached by the parties involved.
The multiple meetings were an
attempt to finalize the union's two-year
proposal to staff the university's food
service operations.
The university claimed the union
wouldn't stick by its numbers, while the
union claimed it followed through on its
bid many different ways.
At   that   point,   the   university   was
uncertain as to what its next move
would be. Linda Philo, president of
AFSCME Local 1568, said, at that time,
the union was just "waiting for the
other shoe to drop."
The other shoe dropped Tuesday
afternoon.
University representatives met with
union representatives to announce
Central would rebid the labor portion of
Dining Services for a two year period.
According to Rae Goldsmith, associate
vic<» president for Public Relations and
Marketing. ARAMARK will submit its
hid bv June 26. The union will then be
able to review ARAMARK's bid and
submit its bid "only on those things they
feel they can control."
Goldsmith said AFSCME would have
until July 17 to submit its bid.
"It seemed to be the fairest thing to
do, given all the issues we were dealing
with," Goldsmith said. The university
will "rebid fairly and equally," she said.
Philo, a utility helper in Carey Dining
Commons, said the university is "going
to rebid until they get what they want."
Philo said there are many issues and
details the union needs to look into
legally. She said she didn't wish to com
ment on these issues until the union
contacted its lawyer.
"It's up in the air until we speak with
the lawyer," Philo said.
According to Philo, the "long, drawn-
out process" has caused a lot of heartbreak and turmoil for the employees.
"Now, we have to redo the whole
thing. It's just really hard on the
employees," Philo said.
Philo said before the university met
with the union it tried to get the arbitrator   to   overturn   his   decision   on
See BIDS Page 2
Man arraigned on
explosives charges
applied for teaching
position at CMU
By Heather N. LaFave
5R
E News Editor
A CMU graduate arraigned on
various explosives violations
Saturday had recently applied
for a psychology teaching position at Central, according to the
psychology department chairman.
Garry Allen Rasmussen, 43,
was arraigned in 76th District
Court Saturday following
Friday's discovery of two sticks
of dynamite wired to an ignition
device at his Union Square
apartment in Mount Pleasant,
police said.
The bomb was found Friday
during a search of Rasmussen's
apartment, following his arrest
for weapons charges in Gratiot
County last week.
The search of a storage unit
Rasmussen was using in Mount
Pleasant produced 12 more
sticks of dynamite, according to
police.
The bomb and dynamite were
disposed of by the Michigan
State Police Bomb Squad, police
said.
Members of the bomb squad
See BOMB Page 7	
LIFE Photo/Bryan Bosch
Mount Pleasant's 12th annual Summer Fest featured many attractions inducting many carnival rides (above).  Live music, fireworks,
and other activities prevailed through the rain soaked weekend, see story mnd photos Page 8.
Mount Pleasant woman killed in crash
By Rachel Sprovtsoff
LIFE Staff Writer	
LIFE Photo/Ryan Wood
Isabella County Sherrif Deputies keep residents of Union Square
apartments out of the complex because of a bomb that was in
one of the apartments friday afternoon.
A 39-year-old Mount Pleasant woman was
killed in a fatal car accident at the intersection of M-20 and Winn Road, according to
police.
Luann Peacock, a passenger in one of two
cars involved in the accident, was pronounced dead on arrival at Central Michigan
Community Hospital at 11:11 a.m. Friday,
according to police.
A 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass, driven by the
victim's daughter, 20-year-old Mount
Pleasant resident Karen Peacock, was northbound on Winn Road where she was stopped
at the intersection, police said. Peacock then
pulled out in front of a 1990 Chevy Suburban
headed westbound on M-20 at 10:26 a.m.
The Suburban, driven by Marilyn Griffith,
a 41-year-old Blanchard resident, struck the
passenger-side door of the Cutlass, according
to police.
The passenger in the Suburban, 63-year-
old Ethel Densmore, is also from Blanchard.
According to police, all four victims were
taken to CMCH where Griffith was treated
and released. Karen Peacock is now listed in
stable condition and Densmore also is in stable condition with serious facial injuries.
According to the Mount Pleasant post of
the Michigan State Police, alcohol does not
appear to be a factor in the accident. The situation is still under investigation.
Funeral services for Luann Peacock took
place at 2 p.m. Monday at Stebbins-
McCullogh Funeral Chapel in Edmore and
she was buried at Pine River Cemetery.
SPORTS
Bobbins finishes eighth
at Walnut Hills
Local golfers Kelly
Robbins and Cindy Figg-
Currier competed at the
Oidmobile Classic in East
Lansing this weekend with
Robbins finishing in the
top 10. PAGE 6
TODAY - HO/57
Piittlv c louclv
LIFE Photo/Sabrina Burton
Bonnie, a miniature dachshund, cuddles close to his
friend Carl Randal, of
Bridgeport, at the Mount
Pleasant Kennel Club Dog
Show on Sunday afternoon in Finch Fieldhouse.
Chris Decker, Irish Hills,
and his Irish Wolfhound,
Kera, take a victory lap on
the runway after winning
their first point.
Central combines
trio of employee
groups into one
By Dave Borough
LIFE Staff Writer	
CMU has combined the
Administrative Professional
Council, Off-Campus Assembly
and Confidential Clerical groups
into one representative body.
According to Maxine Tubbs,
director of Staff Personnel
Services, the new name of the
consolidated group will be
Professional-Administrative
Staff. The change will be effective July 1.
Tubbs said the change was
made to create efficiency among
the different personnel groups.
It will consolidate paperwork
such as newsletters and other
information into one set instead
of a separate set for each group.
It will also allow for one set of
record and database information.
"It will be easier for departments," lYibbs said. "Also, communication will be more clear
between the groups.
"Most of our feedback has
been positive or neutral."
Some of the more significant
changes of the move include consolidating the three groups into
six salary bands, she said.
The bands have increased the
maximum salary ceiling an
employee can earn in his or her
classified section, she said.
MIt won't be an immediate
impact, but people will have the
potential to make more money,"
Tubbs said.
Another change is the notice
employees receive before they
are laid-off. Previously the clerical employees received seven
days and off-campus employees
were given an unspecified "reasonable amount" of time. The
notice will now depend on a person's pay level and the number
of years the he or she has served
at CMU, she said.
The off-campus and clerical
groups will receive more money
for their dental contribution to
bring it up to the current standards of the AP Council, she
said.
Also there have been changes
made in education assistance
programs as they apply to salary
people, she said.
The representation of the new
group will be split into three
divisions with six members of
academic division, three from
the business division and one
from the University
Relations/President's unit.