Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Saying contract talks have finally made progress, Caterpillar Inc. and the United Auto Workers Wednesday said they had called on local union and company officials to begin their own negotiations on local plant issues.
The terse statement issued by the company was the first significant sign that the two sides are close to an agreement since December 1995, when the union’s 13,000 members voted down a company offer.
The union nevertheless halted a drawn-out strike and returned to work under the contract conditions imposed by the Peoria-based builder of construction and earth-moving equipment.
The two sides have been holding low-key meetings for some time under the guidance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
