Eider Fired

Four days later, "an administrative shift" ousted Arthur A. Elder from his job as the service's director. Elder was also state head of the American Federation of Teachers.

Reuther immediately charged that this "shift" had "killed the service," and that "no amount of double-talk can now conceal the complete submergence of the Board of Regents and Governor Kim Sigler to the General Motors Corporation."

Reuther had connected-Sigler's opposition to the workers' service with purported G. M. contributions to the Governor's campaign fund. Sigler denied this on October 22. The extension program, he added, "is not being given up. It is being changed here and there...."

The Governor also retorted to charges by Williams, his opponent, that he was playing politics with the workers' service. "This election," he commented, "is a question of whether the radicals, reds, and pinks, who have hitched on to the Democratic Party, or the Republicans" will win. He was defeated 11 days later.

No Agreement

The university administration tried to smooth things over with the U.A.W., but without success. President Ruthven stated that the program would be the same as before, but Reuther declared the whole plan to be "completely unacceptable."

Both parties argued over the workers' service for three months more. Late in January, 1949, after some agreement had been reached. Ruthven announced the new list of teachers. The union protested that it had not been consulted: Ruthven said he reserved the right to pick instructors.

The U.A.W. decided to boycott the revised education service. When courses finally began in February, only one man appeared for the first class and none thereafter. The university then announced that the Workers' Education Service was terminated.