Nichols Aluminum strike may extend until summer: union

摘要

A 53-day strike at Nichols Aluminum’s castingnand coil-coating plants in Davenport, Iowa, couldnlinger into the summer because of slow progressnin contract negotiations, a Teamsters union official said Tuesday. “It’s going to be a long,nlong deal,” Howard Spoon, president ofnTeamsters Local 371 at the plants, saidnin an interview. Employee health care continuesnto be a divisive issue in the talks.nThe two sides met Monday afternoon, butndid not make much progress, he said.nAdditional bargaining sessions are set fornMarch 21, 22 and 27. “This may go intonthe summer, the way it looks now,” Spoonnsaid. “But at least we’re meeting.” Thenstrike by more than 200 hourly workers atnthe plants – the first work stoppage therensince 1965 – started January 20. A fouryearnlabor agreement at the plants expirednNovember 15. In mid-February, the rankand-nfile overwhelmingly rejected a revisednNichols offer.