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

DATE: TUESDAY, May 4, 1993                   TAG: 9305040256
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HUNTINGTON, W.VA.                                LENGTH: Medium

COAL-CONTRACT TALKS RECESS WITHOUT A DEAL

Contract talks covering 60,000 coal miners recessed late Monday without an agreement to replace the one that ran out at midnight. Union sources said no immediate strike was planned.

A federal mediator had taken part in the talks, held in Washington.

United Mine Workers sources in Indiana and in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two sides had agreed to meet again this morning. They said the miners were told to report to work as usual.

The union issued only a one-sentence statement: "The operators as yet have failed to acknowledge the legitimacy, let alone the needs, of our members."

The Bituminous Coal Operators Association in Washington had no immediate comment.

UMW President Richard Trumka had warned he might call a strike if an agreement weren't reached by the midnight deadline.

The miners were working under a contract extension that had been in place since March, when thousands of miners returned from a one-month strike against 12 of the nation's largest coal operators. They walked out after their five-year contract expired Feb. 1.

Earlier Monday, Bob Phalen, president of Charleston-based UMW District 17, said he wasn't optimistic about a settlement by the midnight deadline.

"I don't think there are any more rabbits to pull out of the hat," he said. "I think it's time to start the long, hot summer."

Thomas Hoffman, vice president of the coal company CONSOL Inc. in Upper St. Clair, Pa., wouldn't comment on the talks.

The negotiations have largely been conducted under a media blackout.

The operators said earlier they were seeking increased flexibility in work rules that would improve productivity. The UMW has said that it is interested in increased job security for its members.

"The operators are not willing to discuss it in a fashion that would allow for true job security," Phalen said.

"The average age of our folks is 44 years and the average life span of their operations is seven years. If they're highly productive, they'll produce themselves out of a job in five years," he said.

by CNB