
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 29, 1991                   TAG: 9103290590
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE/ NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Short

STRIKE TALKS NOT BARGAINING, SPOKESMAN SAYS

Company and union officials had no plans Thursday to pick up negotiations, as strikers at the Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp. began their fourth week on the picket line.

Karl Mantyla, United Auto Workers spokesman in Detroit, said two high-ranking officials who met Wednesday did not make arrangements to resume talks.

"It was an exploratory meeting . . . just to see if there's anything that would motivate them to come together, and that hasn't happened at this time," Mantyla said. He would not say how long the meeting lasted, but that such a meeting is "not unusual" in labor disputes.

Company spokesman Bill Brubaker said, "I cannot comment on the status of any meetings or negotiations."

Volvo's vice president of human resources, George Marik, and the UAW's International representative, Elliott Anderson, met Wednesday, but officials would not say what they discussed.

The two had exchaged letters last week in which Volvo said it wanted to talk with Local 2069 officials, but the International replied that it wouldn't endorse any tentative settlement between those two parties.

The union's 1,000 members - including 380 laid off workers - went on strike at midnight March 8, just hours after negotiations broke off. Job security, health benefits and other economic issues are keeping the two sides from reaching a settlement.

by CNB