ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, March 11, 1997                TAG: 9703110097
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: B-6  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON

TEAMSTERS, UPS BEGIN TALKS

Teamsters and United Parcel Service begin talks today on a new contract for 185,000 member drivers and package handlers, including 600 in Roanoke, Dublin and Lynchburg.

Both sides will lay out preliminary demands in Washington, D.C., and set a timeline to reach a deal before the current four-year agreement expires July 31.

On the table will be a national master agreement and a number of regional riders, including the Atlantic area supplement, which covers operations in Virginia.

The union on Monday marked the start of talks with rallies in seven major cities, the nearest being Atlanta and Philadelphia. The UPS package sorting hub near Roanoke Regional Airport was quiet, with no rally scheduled.

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