MINING CONTRACT TALKS TO RESUME

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

DATE: SUNDAY, March 14, 1993                   TAG: 9303140025
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: E-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short
MINING CONTRACT TALKS TO RESUME
The United Mine Workers and Bituminous Coal Operators' Association say they will resume contract talks in 10 days.
The two sides have until May 3 to reach an accord on the National Bituminous Coal Wage Agreement, which covers tens of thousands of union miners in several states.
The current contract, signed in 1988, expired Feb. 1. A day later, the union called a selective strike.
The walkout, which mainly targeted Peabody Holding Co., ended when both sides agreed to a 60-day contract extension early this month.
At that time, the UMW and coal operators' association said they would resume talks but did not set a date.
The two sides Friday said they would resume negotiations on March 23 in Washington, D.C.
Talks were delayed because both sides needed time to prepare for the negotiations, officials said.
Negotiators have agreed to keep discussions secret.
But UMW President Richard Trumka has said the union will seek jobs at future company operations during the negotiations.
The union said it is concerned thousands of union coal miners would lose jobs over the next 10 years as coal reserves are exhausted.
The union has said it wants to end a practice in which operators already organized by the union set up non-union subsidiaries and transfer coal reserves and sales contracts to the non-union sector.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB