Wednesday, September 5, 2001
The police chief said he would call the ATF about the test results today.
NORTH JACKSON -- The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is conducting tests on the remains of a pipe bomb that recently exploded outside a union hall here.
Orrin Hill, Jackson Township police chief, said the ATF wants to know what type of explosives were used in the bomb. He said he will contact the bureau today and ask about the test results.
"It might take a little while," Hill said of the tests.
The bomb exploded at the base of a door to the hall of United Auto Workers Local 1112 late Friday or early Saturday, Hill said.
Damage: The explosion destroyed two large windows and damaged glass doors and the concrete structure around the entrance. There were no injuries.
"One family said they heard a firecracker go off," he said. "That was really early [Friday] evening, and it's still possible that's what it was."
Hill said a union member drove by the hall Saturday morning, noticed the damage and called police.
The ATF will be leading the investigation, Hill said.
Darwin Cooper, union vice president, said the damage was minor. He said union officials aren't sure who caused the damage, but they're guessing the explosion was vandalism by some juveniles.
However, Hill said he didn't think teens would construct a pipe bomb if they wanted to vandalize a building.
He said that "you tend to believe it's kids," if it was a drain-cleaner bomb, adding that teens have blown up such bombs in the township in the past.
"We've not had anything like this," Hill said.
Negotiations: Local 1112 represents about 4,500 workers at the GM assembly plant in Lordstown and 320 workers at Lear Seating. The union has been taking part in negotiations with Lear Seating, which makes seats for cars built at the assembly plant. A pending strike by Lear employees was averted Saturday when union officials postponed a midnight Friday strike deadline by one week.
Talks between the union and Lear officials were set to continue Tuesday. The union's new strike deadline is midnight Friday.
Cooper has said negotiators are close to a settlement and are "working hard on economic issues."