Waterloo Courier Cedar Falls (Newspaper) - August 25, 1986, Waterloo, Iowa MONDAY AUGUST beats maze AS Focus is on issues of Tuesday's Chance of rain A2 25 CENTS 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS 1986 WATERLOO COURIER FALLS RECORD Volcanic fumes leave dead in Cameroon YAOUNDE Cameroon AP At least people were killed by toxic gas seeping from a volcanic lake in northwest Cameroon and the tary moved into the remote area to evacuate survivors the government said today There was no word on the number of injured A Israeli army medical team arrived in this West African nation today as part of inter- national relief efforts that the Cameroon government said would also involve the United States Britain and France As far as we know volcanic is still going medical team leader Dr Michael Weiner told re- porters on the plane from Israel which was carrying Prime Minister Shimon Peres for a state visit There has been no official government re- port of volcanic activity The Cameroon military took charge of rescue and relief tions in the disaster area Cameroon Information Minister Georges told reporters that military authorities filed a preliminary report of at least dead But as of this afternoon the radio was still reporting that 40 people had died from the fumes That was the figure provided by the government when it first re- ported the disaster on Sunday Joseph an aide to the provincial governor in Bamenda capital of the stricken province said by telephone he had seen many dead but did not have precise figures I went there on Saturday and it was such a frightful sight because so many people had lost their said said villagers from a wide area were being evacuated and others were fleeing and that rescue workers were wearing gas masks The issue of hydrogen sulfide a flammable colorless gas which smells like rotten eggs from Lake near Wum about 200 miles northwest of Yaounde the capital was a geological a government communique said day Hydrogen sulfide is often found in volcanic gases It is often formed during the decay of animal matter Lake lies in a volcanic crater At least three villages were by the fumes which began to emanate Friday according to a com- read Sunday over state tele- vision President Paul Biya toured the region Sunday and declared it a disaster area the communique said The Cameroon government called for international aid to cope with the disaster and said the United States and Britain agreed to supply logistical support for evacuation of villagers and appropriate types of equipment France offered un- specified help New company to add 30 jobs in Waterloo Deere Co union workers line up outside the United Auto Workers Local 838 union hall after they attempted to report for work this morning Upon arriving this morning union workers were told by Courier photo by TOM ROBERTS Deere company officials that they were on strike and should leave Workers then went to the union hall to officially report they had been locked out Deere turns away union workers By ED ADCOCK Courier Staff Writer Local Deere Co workers re- ported for work today but were not allowed to enter plants as the com- pany ignored the United Auto ers selective strike and shut down all Deere operations The company announced that the strike called by the UAW Saturday against three Deere facilities all the company's units Accordingly factory employees represented by the UAW should not report to work until further a company statement read All other Deere Company employees should report to work at their re- scheduled times Production was shut down at 14 factories in Iowa and Illinois idling workers Don Page president of Local 838 said the union considered the move a lockout As a result the union has scheduled for unemployment compensation for Wednesday through Friday The at the union hall on Rainbow Drive with the first letter of an employee's last name de- termining the time and day will be as Wednesday 9 A and B 11 INSIDE Daily Metro....................................A5 Northeast WHO COULD RESIST A Not too many did as Mrs Vance of La City sold all of In two days with a Courier Classified Ad Call to place your ad today White Farm workers in Charles City approve a new contract A7 C and D 1 p.m E and F and 3 p.m G and H Thursday 9 I and J 11 K and L 1 p.m M and N and 3 p.m 0 and P Friday 9 Q and R 11 S and T 1 p.m U and V and 3 p.m W X Y and Z This morning Deere workers re- porting to work were not allowed to enter Deere facilities Hundreds of workers then converged during a heavy rain on the UAW Hall on bow Drive to register their names The strike was called Saturday against the local Foundry the Dubuque Works and the Milan 111 Parts Distributing Center About workers were said to be idled by the strike Page said there were about 580 workers assigned to the Waterloo Foundry and about others who work at the Tractor Works Engine Works and Component Works Casstevens UAW chief with Deere said the three plants were struck because of local contractual issues One of those issues that applies to the Foundry was what Page called foundry service credit The clause which appeared in the ent contract refers to giving foundry workers a year of additional credit for pension benefits for each five years worked in the foundry because of its working conditions The company stated in a release that the three struck units and all the others are covered by one master agreement Yet Page said the UAW workers at parts depots in Denver Colo ta Memphis Tenn and Minneapolis were allowed to report for work At a meeting Sunday Page said he told UAW members that the com- pany has been unwilling to discuss the seniority and pension tions of a joint engine venture with General Motors Detroit Diesel lison He said the union found it difficult to believe company that it was unaware GM had signed the joint venture agreement The company said the union re- a proposal calling for a month contract in which the striking employees would have the op- for a raise under living adjustments The company of- fer called for suspension of future adjustments for 24 months unless the company reports operating income for two consecutive quarters for Deere's manufacturing and ing operations Earlier resumption of the living adjustments would occur if the company reported two consecutive quarters of profitability or 24 months from the date of a signed agreement regardless of profits The company's latest proposal also called for minimum pensions increasing from to a month per year of service over the term of the contract There are also provisions for early retirement and job security and no reductions for paid time off according to the com- pany At the company's Plow and Planter Works in Moline 111 ers showed up for work Sunday night only to be turned away by company officials This doesn't thrill me but I didn't want to go into work without a con- said employee Joe Richey In addition to its nine plants in Iowa and five in Illinois Deere ates a plant in Horicon Wis and three plants in Canada with UAW workers covered under another contract Those four plants were in operation today By ED ADCOCK Courier Staff Writer A new company will bring about 30 jobs to the metro area as a result of a state grant of The efforts of the city the loo Industrial Development tion and the Cedar Valley Economic Action Co secured the grant for Municipal Associated Parts which is presently located in Waverly The company plans to begin tions at 524 Park Road producing parts for snowplows Owned by Rick and Mike Green who also own and operate Henke plans to begin operation Nov 1 The Greens have rented the building and some equipment from a partnership formed by R K and have started preparing it Officials said the firm was ing revenues of million in the first year The grant was provided by the Iowa Development Commission ing money generated by the Iowa Lottery The money will be used to buy down interest for a loan to purchase a plasma arc ting machine a computerized de- vice which will cut parts for Henke and other snowplow producers The grant will be matched by a similar amount by WIDA to reduce interest costs for five years Loans from National Bank of Waterloo are planned to provide the company in working capital and for machinery purchase Rick Green said the plant here will provide replacement parts for Henke snowplows and others because the parts are virtually interchangeable because of industry standards Parts are distributed through John Deere dealers among other systems The company is contributing of its own money to start the operation Jack Nichols Cedar Valley dent said the company is a good 1 addition to the local economy be- cause it is aggressive in attacking both regional and national markets This is the first of the economic development forces direct cesses in luring a company to the metro area This will give us momentum to get some other prospective firms to come here as soon as he said Nichols said one of the prime reasons the state approved the grant was the high number of jobs created compared with the money provided a ratio of about The state also recognized the company's good position for expanding its markets See Continued on page A6 col 5 Frontier shuts down bankruptcy threatened DENVER AP Talks that could save Frontier lines from bankruptcy broke off today without agreement to re- sume a day after the airline halted operations forcing passengers to scramble for nights The talks between the union representing Frontier's 600 pilots and United Airlines had begun day evening in a Chicago suburb Frontier's parent company People Express announced early Sunday that Frontier was shutting down and would file for bankruptcy today if no agreement was reached between United and the Air Line Pilots Association Frontier's shutdown is causing problems for Iowa travelers A2 The shutdown of the airline which served 55 U.S cities west of Chicago and four Canadian cities idled nearly workers in Colorado Last month United had offered million for the re- airline provided it could reach agreement with Frontier's five labor unions Talks with the pilots union ever broke off over how soon tier pilots would receive the same salaries as United pilots said United spokesman Matt Gonring A captain at Frontier makes about a year compared See FRONTIER Continued on page A3 col 3 UP Minority contractors Front companies concern contractors federal government By PAT KINNEY Courier Staff Writer A couple of them laughed But none of them really thought it was funny Those were the reactions of some minority contractors as they re- viewed lists of certified minority and female tors and the companies that had won project contracts set aside for ding by those contractors Some questioned the legitimacy of anywhere from to one- half of the companies listed No one could submit definite proof Second in a series that any company wasn't a imate minority women's or business enterprise A few of the contractors said they have been asked in the past either to pose as a front company for a non- minority firm or to broker out a contract to such a company You're talking to an individual who is real negative about front com- panies i've had to really said Larry Seals owner of Seals Construction I think the tion standards need to be totally re- evaluated Dick Van Arsdale owner of tic Construction Co I'm not in a position to say this person is a front or that person is a front even though I know it is Front companies positively exist Van Arsdale said his company a trucking and excavating contractor is not actively bidding on work now If we just back out of the picture for a while the front companies aren't going to be able to meet their rolls and price themselves right out of he said SEVERAL MINORITY tors suggested that government re- ports of the percentage of ment contract dollars going to women's and disadvantaged businesses may be inflated because of front companies The general concern about front companies among the contractors interviewed apparently also is shared by the federal government which has prompted Iowa and other states to beef up procedures for de- fronts and contractors that do not meet criteria for qualifying as minority women's or disadvantaged businesses Last December the U.S ment of Transportation announced that special emphasis is being placed on the investigation of abuses in the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program Elizabeth Dole U.S secretary of transportation directed the trans- department's inspector See MINORITY CONTRACTORS Continued on A2 col 3
