Published: September 06, 2008 12:28 am         

Manchin urges Greenbrier sides to resolve dispute

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — Describing The Greenbrier’s ongoing labor dispute as the “county’s No. 1 concern,” Gov. Joe Manchin is once again urging both sides to resolve their differences and continue working until a collective bargaining agreement is reached.

Manchin said officials from all areas of the county expressed their concerns to him over the eight-month labor dispute during Wednesday’s tour of eastern Greenbrier County. A series of three rounds of meetings began Friday in White Sulphur Springs over the master agreement between the resort and the Council of Labor Unions. The union has a membership of about 1,100.

“The talks are not going well, but they are meeting,” Manchin said Wednesday. “If we don’t have something by October, then this is going to be a serious problem.”

Due to National Labor Relations Board regulations, Manchin cannot be directly involved in negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. However, the governor did offer his assistance in an “advisory” capacity after a request by both parties. In April, Manchin asked retired lawyer and labor expert Stan Hostler to observe the talks and report back to him. Health issues have prevented Hostler from attending many of the talks.

Manchin said AFL-CIO president John Sweeney has also been asked to provide assistance in the discussions.

Manchin said he briefly spoke with Greenbrier President Andrew Fogarty and union leader Peter Bostic Wednesday, but no new information was available.

“I didn’t get a good feeling that this will be settled anytime soon,” Manchin said at a luncheon in Lewisburg. “I really don’t know what the intent of CSX is and I can’t confirm any of the rumors that I’m sure all of you have heard.”

Unsubstantiated rumors that parent company CSX is preparing the resort for sale have been swirling for months, but the governor gave little credence to those rumors Wednesday.

Officially, the resort has released little information regarding any substantive issues, except for a June 17 news release which stated: “The unions continue to seek full-time benefits for part-time work. The Greenbrier can no longer afford these benefits. These costs severely impact our ability to operate in an efficient and financially responsible manner as well as remain competitive.”

In July, the union offered a proposal which they said would reduce the resort’s cost of health insurance benefits by about $13.5 million over the life of the five-year contract, an increase of about $1 million more than the union’s last offer at the table.

It was unclear if resort negotiators had offered any significant differences from their original contract sent to the union in January. Union officials previously said the resort had not made any major changes to the original contract.

“We have to be serious about getting this thing cured. Everyone has to sit down at the table and work this out,” Manchin said. “There are three back-to-back meetings scheduled. We need to have a plan here. There needs to be an objective for the first meeting, the second meeting and the third one. That’s what we are working on.”

— E-mail: cgiggenbach@register-herald.com