12
Wednesday, May 5, 1976
University Daily Kansan
PREWASHED DEN
Commission meeting .
From page one
Tuttle said that Smith's appeal had been newspaper officials "publicly in the newspapers" to his defense.
"What kind of (appal) hearing can he receive when the final court of appeal is composed of people who are publicly convicted of him but already condemned him?" Tuttle asked.
RAY WIGTON, a member of the citizens group and of KU-Y, presented a leaflet that was distributed yesterday by University of Kansas student groups in the Kansas Union
The leaflet charges that Smith was threatened Jan. 13 with dismissal if he made further statements to the media that criticized city government.
On Jan. 14, the leaflet states, city employees were sent a memo that threatened them with dismissal if they "contacted a city commissioner on a job-related issue." The memo also denied employees the right to attend commission meetings, the leaflet states.
Commissioner Clark said the leaflet was based and didn't hint ways the commission would work.
"We can only conclude that Dennis (Smith) was fired in an attempt to silence all city employees who believe in free speech or to criticize government," the leaflet states.
"THESE WOULD SHOW a clear intent on the part of the city commission to solve these problems," Clark said. "The only problem we haven't solved is recognition."
Mayor Pence said that the city commission had told employees they could organize within their own departments, but that the commission wouldn't sign a bargaining contract with them. The employees rejected the offer, he said.
The fourth speaker for the citizens group was Muriel Paul, a member of the special committee that last fall investigated charges of city mismanagement.
"When a fireman or policeman is injured he is assigned to light duty," Paul said. "Yet when a sanitation worker is injured while performing his duties, he may or may not be assigned, depending upon the whim of city management."
"IT SEEMS THAT these city workers are as exendable as the trash they collect.
City Manager Watson said one reason Smith had been dismissed was his work
He said that before Jan. 22, Smith was absent 57 out of 270 work days.
Commissioner Carl Mibke disputed the reference to Smith's work record.
"If Dennis should have been canned because of his work record, he wasn't." Mibeck said. "The reason we gave health. I don't see his work record as an issue."
Clark said the record was an issue because the company does not have a worker to take on the job for a provided worker.
Watson said he was hesitant about referring to Smith's record because the appeal on his dismissal wouldn't be completed until May 9.
been treated differently than other em-
ployees in the job location in which
obligated to find another job, but
"THIS IS UNTIMELY, but Dennis has not
Clark said that most employees with a firefight or a fire crew旧 time before Time City the city has bent over backwards not to violate his civil right or to have it appear that Smith was under fire.
Forer was the last speaker from the citizens group to formally address the
"I want to congratulate you because I think you have done more for organized labor in this city than anyone else," Forer began. "I think you're going to go on record as the city commission that turned Lawrence into a union town.
"You've been dictating to working people in this town since the days of Quantrill. You know what he does."
*IT STICKS IN YOUR Crawl to sit down and talk to people as equals, and ask them a question.*
**nopoll**
Förer said that the employees, and not the commission, had tried to improve working conditions. He said they had introduced new regulations regarding procedures, modern personnel practices and an end to favoritism and secret files. They had also exposed legal violations, affirmative action violations, and nepotism. The commission's interest in city management he said.
"For that they have earned your hostility." Forer said.
Commissioner Clark said, "Regardless of
what people in this room think, we are really trying to do a good job. I think that because we tried to do something, that's why we're being abused tonight."
BY DISMISSING Smith, Forer said, the
citizens of cities of citizens to
critique their government.
Forer said that the city had fired another sanitation employee, Joe Payne, to establish an ex post facto precedent for dismissing Smith.
Payne was fired yesterday for health reasons.
Earl Silvers, an employee with the street department and president of the street workers association, said that workers looked upon Smith's dismissal as an indication that every worker suffering an on-the-lob injury would be fired.
"People are worried that if they go out and do a good job and break their backs, they will pay the price."
PHIL BOHLANDER, secretary of the sanitation workers association, said that the city had evaluated Smith less than a month ago as a competent worker. The evaluation report was unfairly ignored when Smith was dismissed, he said.
George Blevins, president of the water department workers association, said employees were still uncertain about their status. In some cases of firing for on-the-job injuries.
Commissioner Clark said the city wasn't starting a pattern of injury and firing.
Arnold Berman, attorney for the police and fire department workers association.
"On behalf of the workers of both those associations, we will not tolerate any punitive action, such as dismissal, taken against any employer. We are going to German said. 'We no longer are going to take the position of collective begging.'
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