Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 26, 1991 TAG: 9103260442
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
Bob Goad, vice president of Local 2069, said Monday that George Marik, Volvo's vice president of human resources from company headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., will meet with Elliott Anderson, the union's international representative from Detroit.
"It's a first step," Goad said. "If it's a fruitful meeting, it could turn into negotiations, but I can't say that because I don't know. It's just those two men meeting."
He said local union officials no longer would be talking directly with Volvo officials at the Pulaski County plant.
"I'd like to stress we don't communicate with the company anymore," Goad said. "From now on, it'll be strictly through Anderson."
Friday, local union representatives - at their request - met with officials from the Volvo plant, despite the UAW's warning that such a meeting could be illegal.
It had been agreed that all meetings regarding contract negotiations would "be scheduled by you and myself," according to a March 22 letter from the UAW's Anderson to Marik.
"This meeting would be in violation of that agreement, and possibly the law," Anderson wrote.
He further wrote that because Volvo is "unwilling to increase its economic proposal of March 8th, we see no reason for meetings at this time."
Any labor agreement at the Dublin truck manufacturer would be a three-party settlement among Volvo, the UAW International and Local 2069, Anderson said in the letter.
Neither Anderson nor Marik could be reached Monday.
Karl Mantyla, a UAW spokesman in Detroit, declined to comment on why the international did not condone Friday's meeting.
"We're not commenting publicly on things we consider internal to the union," he said.
About 1,000 union members went on strike this month when negotiations broke off just hours before their three-year contract with Volvo expired.
The union represents 680 Volvo employees, as well as 380 workers who have been laid off in recent months.
Union officials have cited wages, benefits and job security as reasons for the work stoppage, the first at the 17-year-old factory.
Volvo spokesman Bill Brubaker said no more orders have been sent out of state. The company last week sent 225 truck orders to its two other plants, in Ohio and Utah.
Brubaker has said the company does not intend to hire replacement workers.
by CNB