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Vol.63/No.33       September 27, 1999  
 
 
N. Carolina strikers to vote on offer after year-long battle  
 
 
BY FLOYD FLOWLER 
ATLANTA — "This means we've whipped them," declared striker Larry Little. "They said we were permanently replaced, that we would never get back in that plant. It took a year but they're beaten."

This was his reaction to the terms of a tentative agreement mailed September 15 to all members of United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 850. The 1,450 members of Local 850 have been on strike against Continental General Tire since September 20.

"The Cost of Living Allowance goes up to 100 percent over the life of this contract, and there are big improvements in the pension," Little said in a phone interview. "A lot of people don't like going from five shifts to four, which puts everyone on 12-hour days. It'll be hard, especially on us older workers, but we couldn't get everything."

Under the tentative six-and-a-half-year agreement, Continental General must bring back 900 strikers immediately, but can keep 400 scabs in the plant for up to six months. The remaining strikers will receive 80 percent of their pay until they're returned to work. The contract contains a buy-out offer for those who choose not to come back.

The offer also covers workers in two other USWA locals at the company's plants in Bryan, Ohio, and Mayfield, Kentucky, and brings the expiration dates of the three contracts within six months of each other. "We've been fighting for common expiration dates," Little said. The contract will be voted on September 19.  
 
 
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