Talks go on for Delphi, IUE-CWA

By Kalea Hall

khall@vindy.com

WARREN

Negotiations between two Delphi Packard plants and the IUE-CWA Local 717 were ongoing into late Tuesday evening.

Workers at the two plants in the Mahoning Valley were on a verbal hour-by-hour contract extension after their contract expired Monday night.

The four-year contract is for the 668 production and skilled trade workers at the plants located on Larchmont Avenue in Warren and Aero Park Drive in Vienna.

“For the past 29 hours, we have been at the table non-stop,” said Ed Salus, president of the IUE-CWA Local 717, Tuesday morning.

The union and the company continued to work on an agreement throughout today.

The company, whose local plants supply the automotive industry, and the union have been in active negotiations for about five weeks.

“We are looking to bring back a contract that our members are happy with,” Salus said. “We will stay at the table until that happens.”

Salus would not comment on the specific issues involved in the negotiations.

“We are hoping to get these issues settled sooner rather than later,” he said.

Salus said before negotiations the workers voted to support a strike if negotiations hit an impasse.

Delphi did not return requests to comment.