Kaiser, Union End Denver Talks

Meetings in Denver between the United Steelworkers and Kaiser Aluminum ended Tuesday afternoon with agreement that the parties meet again next week in Spokane.

“We completed two days of talks with the USWA on the subject of contracting out at Mead (in Spokane),” said Kaiser spokeswoman Susan Ashe. “They went well.”

Union negotiators also said the talks were substantial. “They’re looking forward to meeting next week,” said Larry Strom, vice president for the Mead local.

One of the thorniest issues is contracting out, or subcontracting Steelworker jobs to nonunion plants. The company would like to eliminate a number of positions by offering them to independant contractors, which would cut costs, the company has said.

But the Steelworkers are struggling to keep union membership up at the Mead and Trentwood plants in Spokane and have been fighting to keep those jobs. Some 2,900 Steelworkers have been off the job at five Kaiser plants since Sept. 30, 1998.

The two sides are scheduled to meet again Nov. 10-11 in Spokane to talk about out-sourcing at Mead.