Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 12, 1991 TAG: 9103120054
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY BUSINESS EDITOR
DATELINE: MARION LENGTH: Medium
The Carpenters Union has "basically shut down" the 1,000-employee plant, said Myron DeBord, local union president.
The strike over wages and contract language changes started its second week Monday with "eight or 10" union workers crossing the picket line, DeBord said.
The Carpenters claim more than 800 of their members are on strike at Brunswick, Smyth County's largest employer. Mel Kent, industrial relations manager, said the company had no comment on the strike.
Mediators normally let labor and management go through a cooling-off period of about 10 days during a strike before attempting to resume bargaining, said Lonnie Stokes, a federal mediator called in from Knoxville, Tenn.
DeBord said the union has notified the company "of our willingness to meet, but we've had no response." The union has about 115 pickets on the line during a 24-hour period, he said.
The union official, asked about a report of incidents involving people who are working, called it a peaceful strike. He said he asked Brunswick's security officer to notify him of any problems and the only call he's received was that "two tomatoes were thrown." The union "stressed that we want no violence," DeBord said.
However, Clifford Jones, a shelter fabricator who is crossing the picket line to work, said he found nails in his driveway and a rock was thrown through a window of his home. Jones said he is not accusing the union, "but the only things that have happened have been to the people who are working." Three other employees who are working reported tires cut and shots fired near a home, Jones said.
Dispatchers for the Marion police department and Smyth County sheriff's office said they have received no complaints of violence or other strike-related incidents.
The Marion plant makes ceramic noses for the Patriot missiles used in the Persian Gulf War, as well as radomes for jet planes and portable shelters for hospitals and trucks. DeBord said the strike would not have been called if the war were still under way and the Patriot components had been needed.
Members of the United Mine Workers, Communication Workers, Steelworkers and Garment Workers joined the Carpenters on the picket line over the weekend, he said.
When the union struck on March 2, the company had offered a 7 percent pay raise for renewal of a three-year contract, but the Carpenters Union sought 7 percent annually, or a total of 21 percent.
However, DeBord said, seniority and contract language also are important issues in the dispute.
The company wants language liberalizing subcontracting, DeBord said. The union recently won two arbitration case on this issue, he said.
Under the company's proposed language change, a junior employee could replace a senior worker in a layoff, he said. DeBord also criticized the company's vacation schedule.
by CNB