Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 4, 1991 TAG: 9104040392
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE/ NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
"I think it's pretty fair, considering the economy," said Jacob Trompeter, an employee at Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp. for 14 years.
"They'll ratify this. Everybody'll be back to work," he said outside the union hall.
A vote on the contract has been scheduled for Friday 2 p.m. If ratified, the 680 workers would likely return to the plant Monday.
For now, they remain on strike.
Workers said the proposal is generally better than the company's last offer March 8, when they went on strike against the Pulaski County truck manufacturer.
It includes yearly pay raises over the life of the three-year contract, no change in basic health benefits, and several job security provisions.
"We had some demands, and we stuck with them," said Joe Parah, president of the United Auto Workers Local 2069.
The local bargaining committee plans to formally recommend approval of the contract on Friday, he said.
Volvo's corporate headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., apparently mailed letters to employees this week saying that if they didn't return to their jobs, the company would start hiring replacement workers.
"I believe it," said Trompeter. "There's a lot of unemployed people in this area."
"I just thought it was a joke," said Lonnie Peak, who received the letter before coming to the union hall Wednesday. Local union officials also were aware of the letter, but said it was sent out before the tentative agreement was reached.
Company spokesman Bill Brubaker could not be reached for comment.
In previous interviews, Brubaker has said that Volvo had no plans to hire replacement workers "at this time."
The membership vote, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed because representatives with the UAW International in Detroit were not present, Parah said.
The International at first refused to come, he said, but later called to say that representatives would be here for the vote on Friday.
A spokesman with the UAW in Detroit could not reach the officials involved to confirm that late Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the local union resumed negotiations with management from the Dublin plant, despite indications from Detroit that the International wouldn't sanction any agreement it was not involved in.
"We went on our own," Parah said. "The membership was almost demanding us doing this."
Don Ratcliff, local bargaining agent for the union, said he felt positive the International would back the workers' vote.
"I don't want to make the International out as the bad guy. The International wanted the best for this membership," Ratcliff said.
"Their expectations from these negotiations were higher than ours."
The International sought gains "in all areas" to bring the local union up to standards throughout the heavy truck industry, he said.
"We may be a contract behind, but for the amount of time we've been unionized, I think we're doing a pretty good job," Ratcliff said. The Local 2069 began in 1978.
The proposal now being considered by workers and their families includes:
Yearly wage increase of 49 cents, 44 cents and 37 cents per hour. The average hourly rate for Volvo workers is $14.50.
No permanent layoffs for the first year of the contract, which would expire March 11, 1994.
No change in basic health coverage without mutual agreement of union membership and management.
An agreement for future discussion about subcontracting and sending work out of the plant to smaller companies, and a promise from management that it would consider alternatives presented by the local union to keep work in the plant.
by CNB