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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1988)
News Digest Drug tests ordered for 4 million WASHINGTON — The Trans portation Department on Monday ordered a wide range of drug testing, including random checks, for more than 4 million transportation workers from airline pilots and flight atten dants to truckers and railroaders. Transportation Secretary Jim Burnley said the transportation indus tries are no more immune from drug abuse as other parts of society, listing a series of accidents and other indica tors he said shows narcotics to be a problem among truck and bus drivers, commercial pilots and railroad work ers. “The American people demand and expect a drug-free transportation system. These new rules will take us as far as practically possible toward that goal,” Burnley said at a news conference. He acknowledged the tests, which take effect in a year, likely will be challenged in the courts. The Supreme Court has before it two separate drug-testing cases, in cluding one involving post-accident testing of railroad workers, that are expected to be decided next year. After Burnley's announcement, the head of the 40,000-member Air Line Pilots Association vowed to go ♦o Congress and to the federal courts to overturn the requirement for ran dom testing. “Random testing is a counter-pro ductive, shotgun strategy that is at the same time an unwarranted invasion of privacy and of no significant value in the battle against dreg abuse,” said ALPA President Henry Duffy. The series of federal regulations announced by Burnley call for trans portation companies to have a com prehensive testing program in place by December 1989. Companies with 50 or fewer employees - including tens of thousands of over-the-road independent truckers - have a second year to comply. The Transportation Department estimated the testing will cost busi nesses more than $2.1 billion during the first 10 years, but Burnley said die testing will save the same companies about $8.7 billion in increased pro ductivity, accident reductions and medical cost savings. Besides requiring random checks, the regulations call for drug testing before employment, periodically during annual physicals if there is reasonable cause to suspect drug use and after an accident. The drugs cov ered by the tests are marijuana, co caine, opiates, amphetamines and PCP. The random-testing provision, which requires that at least 50 percent of a given workforce be tested during a single year, has attracted the loudest protests from the unions. They argue that such tests constitute an invasion of privacy and have minimal benefit. The required testing programs will cover: • Nearly 3 million long-distance truckers, including independent driv ers and those that work directly for large trucking companies. Intercity bus drivers also must be tested. • More than 538,000 aviation em ployees, including 50,000 commer cial pilots, 80,000 flight attendants and 300,000 airline mechanics. Air traffic controllers already are subject to similar testing requirements. • About 90.000 railroad industry workers, including engineers, brakemen and train dispatchers. • Nearly 200,000 urban transit workers, including subway and tran sit bus drivers and mechanics. • About 200,000 merchant seamen and other mariners on commercial vessels that carry passengers or cargo. Fishermen are not covered by the rules. I PLO swings to moderation ALGIERS, Algeria — Mem bers of the Palestine National Council worked out final details Monday of a new political strategy that would renounce terrorism and implicitly recognize Israel. The council also is expected to declare Palestinian independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel captured from Jordan and Egypt in the 1967 Middle East war and has occupied since. With the new approach, the 450-member council hopes to meet at least some conditions the United States has set for dealing with the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Arab League formed the coun cil in 1964, but it has assumed the role of PLO legislature. Behind the scenes of the council sessions, which began a special session Saturday, PLO chief Yas ser Arafat rallied members to his new policy. Arafat beamed and said, “Eve rything is fine” as he entered the Palais des Nations conference center Monday for a meeting of the committee drafting resolutions. George Habash, leader of the radical Popular Front for the Lib eration of Palestine, contended too many concessions were being of fered with no guaranteed response from the United States and Israel. In an unusual display of modera tion, however, he assured Arafat he would “express reservations in public, but bow to the rule of the major;ty,” conference sources said. In Washington, President Re agan said implicit PLO recognition of Israel “would be some progress,” but added: “There are other prob lems that remain to be solved.” Israel rejected results of the Algiers meeting in advance. “We will not negotiate with the PLO,” said Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. “It’s not a problem of defi nition and formulations of various positions. We’ll not negotiate with them because they’re opposed to peace with Israel.” Arafat and other PLO leaders consider the independence decla ration a historic step toward crea tion of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. The council meeting is called the “Intefadch” session after the 11-month-old uprising among the l.S million Palestinians of the occupied lands. i---—--1 Beating victim dies in attack PORTLAND, Ore. — Civil rights groups expressed outrage Monday at the beating death of an Ethiopian man, apparently at the hands of white supremacist “skinheads,” and said attacks by such groups have been growing nationwide. Two other Ethiopian men were injured in the attack early Sunday by three young men who had shaved heads and wore mili tary jackets. Skinheads, bands of young loughs who espouse white su premacism and are prone to violence, have been linked to two other slayings nationwide, and a multitude of criminal acts against blacks, Asians, Jews and homosexuals. “I think that what has hap pened is very tragic, the ultimate manifestation of racial hatred,” said Avel Gordly, associate executive secretary of Portland’s American Friends Service Committee, which works for peace and social jus tice issues. it needs to be seen as some thing that lias occurred because of the overall racial climate in this country.” Police spokesman Dave Simpson said Monday that in vestigators had no leads in find ing tne men who attacked Mu lugeta Seraw, 27, Wondwosen Tesfaye, 24, and Tilahule Ant neh, 31. The Northwest Coali tion Against Malicious Harass ment last month identified Ore gon as a “hotbed” of skinhead activity. In Portland, skinheads have been linked to various acts of vandalism and at least two assaults, including the beating of an Asian man in March. NdSraskan The Daily Nebraska^ USPS 144-000) IS published by the UNL Publications Board, Ne braska Union 34, 1400 R St., Lincoln. NE, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly curing summer sessions. Roadors are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Dally Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 6 a.m. and 5 p m. Monday through Friday. The public also hae access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Tom Macy. 475-9868. Subscription price is $45 tor one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan. Nebraska Union ft 1400 R St..Lincoln, NE 68S86-0446. Second-class postage paid at Lincoln. NE. 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