Talks by Blade, union called constructive

[Omaha Steve]

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070511/BUSINESS03/70511010/-1/BUSINESS

Article published Friday, May 11, 2007
Talks by Blade, union called constructive

The Blade and the Toledo Council of Newspaper Unions met yesterday as part of further attempts to resolve labor contracts between the city's only daily newspaper and seven of its eight unions.

A statement by the newspaper council described the discussions with representatives of The Blade and Block Communications Inc. as 'a constructive confidential meeting.' The council added that the two parties 'will meet again to continue confidential discussion in the near future.'

Joseph Zerbey IV, vice president and general manager at The Blade, said in a statement, 'We had positive discussions today. That bodes well for the future, and further discussions.'

Both sides said that to accommodate further negotiations, they had agreed to postpone the first week of a National Labor Relations Board hearing, set for May 21, on unfair labor practice complaints against The Blade for its lockouts last August of five of its unions.

The NLRB has not yet approved a new hearing schedule.