Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 7, 1994 TAG: 9409070125
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The company said Tuesday in a statement that it has no current plans to permanently replace the striking members of the United Rubber Workers union.
But because of the length of the strike - seven weeks - Yokohama said temporary workers were needed to keep up production and "protect the long-term job security of all Yokohama employees."
About 300 striking workers gathered at the plant's gates Tuesday morning to let the temporary workers know they were unwelcome. Approximately 15 temporary workers crossed the picket line, said Wayne Friend, president of Rubber Workers Local 1023.
The union discovered that the company planned to hire the replacements when some younger strikers responded to an advertisement for temporary help and were told the work was at Yokohama, Friend said.
The company has responded to the presence of large numbers of pickets at the plant in recent days by obtaining a temporary restraining order from Circuit Judge Roy Willet limiting their numbers. The company also said there had been instances of property damage and threats to plant employees.
Richard Switzer, Yokohama vice president for manufacturing, said the company has been forced to seek an injunction against the strikers, although it had hoped it wouldn't have to.
One striker was arrested at the plant Tuesday morning on a misdemeanor charge after allegedly damaging a Yokohama employee's car, said Salem Police Capt. J.R. Bryant. Another striker was summoned to court on a charge of breaking the peace, related to abusive language used against a police officer Thursday, Bryant said.
The police have received other reports of property damage at the plant, but Tuesday's was the first they witnessed, Bryant said. His officers are at the plant to keep its entrance roads open and protect the safety of everyone involved, he said.
Bryant said he was not familiar with the conditions of the restraining order against the union.
Tuesday evening, Friend said he hadn't been served with the restraining order and would have no comment until he had a chance to discuss it with the union's lawyer.
Friend said no further talks have been scheduled with management, although the union was ready to return to the bargaining table at any time. The union struck the plant at midnight July 23.
The major issue keeping the two sides apart is a company demand that more employees be required to work weekends so the plant can fully operate on a seven-day-a-week basis. The company said it needs to operate all week to be competitive with other tire makers.
Yokohama wants to double the pool of weekend workers to 300 by extending the requirement to all those hired since 1984. The pool now includes only 150 workers hired since 1991.
Last Wednesday, the company issued a statement saying it had made its final contract offer, but the strikers declined to vote on it. About 800 hourly workers, most of them union members, are involved in the strike.
by CNB