Union, Kaiser Agree On Rules For Talks

Wed., Aug. 4, 1999

The two men leading the negotiations for the United Steelworkers and Kaiser Aluminum ended two days of talks in Denver on Tuesday with promises to meet again.

David Foster, district director for the union, and Jeremy Sherman, the chief negotiator for the company, met along with a federal mediator to establish ground rules for the upcoming negotiations.

The full negotiating teams from five Kaiser plants and local union bargaining units are scheduled to resume talks in Denver on Monday.

A company statement said that Foster and Sherman reviewed many of the outstanding issues between the two sides and “attempted to explore ideas for narrowing the differences.”

About 3,000 Steelworkers have been locked out of Kaiser plants since they attempted to end a September strike in January.

Both sides have endured a summer of setbacks. In July, the National Labor Relations Board rejected the union’s charges that the company engaged in unfair labor practices. Also in July, Kaiser suffered the loss of its Gramercy, La., operations after a devastating explosion. Kaiser also posted $15.7 million in losses, the third straight quarter it has lost money.

Meanwhile, Foster was flying to Spokane on Tuesday night to attend a rally and labor relations forum today in Post Falls.

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