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

DATE: THURSDAY, September 1, 1994                   TAG: 9409010084
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

YOKOHAMA TO PRESENT UNION WITH ITS FINAL OFFER

Wayne Friend, president of Local 1023 of the United Rubber Workers union, said the proposed labor contract contains some improvements over the one that was on the bargaining table when about 800 workers went on strike at midnight July 23. However, speaking for himself, Friend said he could not vote for the Yokohama offer.

One of his major objections to the proposed contract, Friend said, is that it still contains a company proposal to expand the number of employees required to work on weekends to everyone hired since 1984.

That would affect 150 union workers. Another 150 hired since 1991 were already eligible for weekend shifts under the previous three-year contract.

The union will present the company's offer to workers at a 1 p.m. meeting today at the Salem Civic Center. The union bargaining committee will wait to get the membership's reaction to the proposal before deciding on what recommendation, if any, to make about accepting the offer.

In a news release, the company said its offer contains "significant improvements in wages and benefits as well as changes to meet the competitive needs of the company."

Friend said the issue of wages had never been a problem during the contract bargaining.

On several other issues, the company and union have moved closer together, Friend said. The company abandoned a proposal that would have tied cost of living wage increases to productivity levels.

"We're still not up to what the [contract] should be," Friend said.

Richard Switzer, Yokohama's vice president of manufacturing, encouraged all striking workers to attend the meeting "so they can fully understand all details of the company's offer."

Memo: ***CORRECTION***