Union files charges against Teamsters

Union files charges against Teamsters

youngstown

Members of the Professional Office Workers, an independent union made up of staff professionals working in the union hall of the Teamsters Local 377, have filed labor charges against the local. The office workers claim that the Teamsters have failed to abide by the terms of their collective- bargaining agreement and have refused to sign a contract extension, which had been mutually agreed upon. The charges against the Teamsters have been filed with the Cleveland office of the National Labor Relations Board.

The Professional Office Workers invite the public to attend an informational meeting in front of the union hall, 1223 Teamsters Drive, at 9 a.m. today.

UAW halts vote on deal at GM plant

INDIANAPOLIS

The United Auto Workers union has decided not to go ahead with a vote on a new wage-cutting contract for a General Motors Co. stamping plant in Indianapolis that is facing sale.

UAW Local 23 bargaining chairman Gregory Clark says members won’t vote on the proposed contract, which would cut base wages from $29 per hour to $15.50.

Originally, the 650 workers were scheduled to vote today on the deal.

JD Norman Industries of Addison, Ill., had asked for pay cuts as a condition for buying the plant. Barring a sale, GM has said it will close the plant next year.

Local 23 members voted against bargaining with Norman earlier this summer. The Indianapolis Star says UAW international officials conducted talks with Norman despite the vote.

Japan’s economy sharply slower

TOKYO

Japan’s economy lost significant momentum last quarter as receding growth at home and abroad stunted its shaky recovery.

Gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 0.4 percent, the government said today.

The result undershot analysts’ expectations and represents a sharp slowdown from the previous quarter’s revised 4.4 percent expansion. In its survey of economists, Kyodo news agency had estimated an annualized 2.3 percent rise.

Austria: Former bank chief in custody

VIENNA

A judge has ruled that the former chief executive of Austrian bank Hypo Alpe Adria should be held in pretrial custody.

Wolfgang Kulterer was arrested Friday and questioned as part of a probe into dealings at the troubled financial institution, which was nationalized last year to save it from sliding into bankruptcy.

The Austria Press Agency, citing the public prosecutor’s office in the southern city of Klagenfurt, reported Sunday that Kulterer appeared before Judge Oliver Kriz, who ordered him held after investigators interrogated him.

APA says Kulterer is suspected of breach of trust and was detained because authorities feared he would try to flee, obscure evidence or commit further offenses.

Union: Talks could avert airport strike

LONDON

Britain’s Unite labor union says talks with airport operator BAA could avert strikes likely to cause major disruption to holiday travel later this month.

Ground staff plan to strike at Britain’s six largest airports — which include Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow and Edinburgh — to protest a pay deal.

Analysts speculate Unite will select the August bank holiday weekend — the last weekend of the month — to maximize disruption. Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, said Sunday that discussions planned for today could lead to a deal.

Vindicator staff/wire reports