Contract talks continue; layoffs loom

Daniel Barrick reports in the Concord Monitor that state and union negotiators came away from contract talks last night with no agreement and different perspectives.

While an SEA spokesman described yesterday's talks as "productive," a spokesman for Lynch expressed frustration and warned that layoffs were imminent if a final deal is not reached soon.

"We had put plans for layoffs on hold because we had reached a tentative agreement," said Colin Manning, Lynch's spokesman. "Unfortunately we're going to have to resume those plans. This is an unfortunate outcome."

The tone from union representatives yesterday was strikingly different.

"We had some very productive talks," Mike Barwell, a spokesman for the SEA, said last night. "Everything's up in the air, but we had productive discussions."