THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2006
NEWS
3A
ADMINISTRATION
GTA contract dispute to end soon
Activity in the ongoing contract dispute between the University and its graduate teaching assistants has ceased for the time being as both sides prepare for a fact-finding hearing scheduled for Nov.29.
Both sides said they hoped the hearing, conducted by a neutral fact-finder appointed by the state Public Employee Relations Board in September, would finally bring an end to the negotiations, which began in May 2005.
The two sides had similar problems agreeing on a contract in 2002. That dispute lasted 22 months.
Katy Martin, lead negotiator for the Graduate Teaching Assistant Coalition, has previously said she thought the end of the year was a reasonable goal for finishing the negotiations. With just two months remaining in the year, Martin said she still agreed with that goal.
"I think it's possible," Martin said. "Maybe not by the end of the semester, but by the end of the calendar year. It just depends how long the fact-finder takes to come to a decision."
Lynn Britz, director of university communications and government relations, said the University was also hoping the dispute would be resolved by the end of the year.
"I would certainly hope that's the case," Bretz said. "We really wish we could have gotten this done sooner."
Lisa-Marie Wright, GTA in sociology, said she was satisfied with the speed at which the process was moving.
"I think it's important not to drag on the process too long, but it's also important to get all the information out there and have our case heard," Wright said.
After the hearing, the fact-finder will make a recommendation to the state as to whether GTAC should be granted its demands. Both sides said they would accept the recommendation as the final word in the matter.
"The negotiations are over," Bretz said. "It all comes down to the fact-finder at this point."
Martin said she was optimistic the fact-finder would rule in favor of the GTAs. She said GTAC had not had any contact with the fact-finder or the University since the negotiations moved to this stage.
Bretz, meanwhile, reiterated the University's desire to arrive at a new contract and get raises to the GTAs.
Kansan staff writer Danny Luppino can be contacted at dluppino@ kansan.com.
Edited by Brett Bolton
Rumsfeld: Expand Iraqi security forces
BY ROBERT BURNS ASSOCIATED PRESS
NATION
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday endorsed a proposal to spend at least $1 billion to expand the size and accelerate the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces.
While the plan still must get final approval from the White House and the money would have to be approved by Congress, Rumsfeld's support underscores the Bush administration's effort to shift more of the burden of Iraq's security to that country's forces.
"I'm very comfortable with the increases they've proposed and the accelerations in achievement of some of their targets," Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon, noting that the Iraqi government and Gen. George Casey, the top U.S.
commander in Iraq, both recom mended expanding Iraqi forces.
"Now it's simply a matter of our pressing forward and getting our portion of the funding from the Congress and working to see that it's executed," Rumsfeld said. He did not say how much extra U.S. money would be required.
So far, the U.S. government has spent roughly $10 billion on developing the Iraqi security forces, according to the latest report released by the Pentagon special inspector general who audits U.S. work in Iraq. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the proposed extra money as more than $1 billion, but would not offer specifics.
Rumsfeld "approved going forward" with the proposal, which is intended to be part of an add-on to the 2007 budget, according to Pentagon press secretary Eric
Ruff. It will next be submitted to the White House and other government agencies for their review, Ruff said.
The defense secretary's move comes at a time when the Bush administration has been pressing Iraqi officials to agree to benchmarks with which progress in the war-torn country can be measured. The effort has produced strains with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has resisted being portrayed as beholden to Washington.
Rumsfeld did not cite a dollar figure or reveal how many extra Iraqi forces would be developed, beyond the 325,000 target that U.S. officials say they expect to reach before year's end.
Two defense officials said Tuesday that the expected increase was far fewer than 100,000, and one official suggested it might be about 30,000. Those officials spoke
on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
CBS News reported on Monday that Casey had recommended expanding the Iraqi security forces by as much as 100,000.
Rumsfeld said the final decision on expanding the Iraqi security forces would be announced in Baghdad.
Asked whether such an increase would mean that U.S. troops would have to stay in Iraq longer to train the extra forces, Rumsfeld said he doubted it. Nor would it necessarily require a higher number of U.S. trainers, he said.
U. S. government approval is required for any plan to expand the size of the Iraqi forces because it could not be accomplished without additional U.S. funds and the provision of U.S. trainers and U.S.-acquired equipment.
Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said expanding the Iraqi security forces likely means it will take more than the 12 to 18 months Casey has estimated it will take to get the Iraqis fully in control of their own security.
"Congress must have a clear explanation of why these additional forces are needed, what additional American training resources will be put in place, and how this new training plan will allow for a decreased commitment from American forces," Skelton said.
The current plan is to develop 325,000 Iraqi security forces, including the army, police and border control forces. The number trained and equipped thus far is about 310,000, and the final target is expected to be reached by year's end.
IRAQ
Prime minister succeeds in maneuvering U.S. to lift blockades on checkpoints in Baghdad
BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Exploiting GOP vulnerability in the Nov. 7 elections, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki flexed his political muscle Tuesday and won U.S. agreement to lift military blockades on Sadr City and another Shiite enclave where an American soldier was abducted.
U. S. forces, who had set up the checkpoints in Baghdad last week as part of an unsuccessful search for the soldier, drove away in Humvees and armored personnel carriers at the 5 p.m. deadline set by al-Maliki. Iraqi troops, who had manned the checkpoints with the Americans, loaded coils of razor wire and red traffic cones onto pickup trucks.
Their departure set off celebrations among civilians and armed men in Sadr City, the sprawling Shiite district controlled by the Mahdi Army militia loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Small groups
of men and children danced in circles chanting slogans praising and declaring victory for al-Sadr, whose political support is crucial to the prime minister's governing coalition.
The prime minister's challenge to U.S. conduct of the war was the latest in a series of acts designed to force the American hand and test Washington's readiness to give him a greater say in securing the world's most violent capital.
Al-Maliki finds himself in a
maze of conflicting political pressures. After the Bush administration unveiled a plan last week for Iraq's government to adopt timelines for progress, especially in curbing violence, al-Maliki accused Washington of infringing on national sovereignty. There was no doubt he was talking tough to show both the Americans and his political base that he would not be pushed around.
bloodshed might be better handled by Iraqi forces.
The prime minister has further said that he thought stanching
Sen. Jack Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said al-Maliki was yielding to sectarian pressure and undermining U.S. efforts to curb attacks. "Today, the critical issue in Iraq is whether the Maliki government can muster the political will to confront those who use violence to destabilize Iraq," Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, said in a statement.
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