A.M. Executive Briefing - April 17
This Morning's Headlines:
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House to Take Up Truck Fees Legislation
The Michigan House this week is to consider bills that would affect who would receive money from fines paid by truckers who break local ordinances.The bills would give 30% of the money to Michigan libraries and the remainder to the communities, which currently get all of the revenue from fines for local truck laws.
Volvo-Mack Merger Would Be First Global Truck Group
A possible merger between Volvo and Renault, parent company of Mack Trucks, would create the first global truckmaker and make Volvo/Mack second only to Freightliner among U.S. heavy-truck manufacturers. But industry watchers say the deal, which would put Renault in charge of automobiles and give truck operations to Volvo, could close Mack plants in the U.S.It will likely not affect the Macungie, Pa., plant, which makes garbage trucks and other vocational vehicles, but could jeopardize the over-the-road truck plant in Winnsboro, S.C. That plant would be competing with Volvo's over-the-road truck factories, including the plant in Dublin, Va., that Volvo is expanding to the biggest of its kind on the continent.
Meanwhile, observers say that Volvo could target International as well, since that company has the leading worldwide dealer system, which would make up for the weak dealer systems at Volvo and Mack. Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) (04/16/00) P. D1; Shope, Dan
Dispute Between Teamsters and AWG is Turning Ugly
As two weeks have passed since 1,200 Teamster truckers and warehouse employees were locked out of their jobs with Associated Wholesale Grocers, the union and the cooperative are each claiming violence and vandalism by the other. A Springfield, Mo., union member said Thursday he had been beaten up by an AWG security guard, while Kansas City, Kan., pickets said replacement employees attacked them.Union business manager Jim Kabell, who has been accused by a Raley's store in Monett, Mo., of damaging groceries there by piling heavy goods on them in a cart, said he damaged the items accidentally and sent checks to Raley's headquarters to pay for the items and reshelving costs. He said he had put items in a cart to avoid drawing suspicion when he went to the store to see if rumors of ill-stocked shelves were true.
Kabell also implied that union pickets may have caused AWG member Dillons Food Stores to abandon AWG and move its distribution in-house ahead of schedule, but a Dillons spokesman said there was never a disclosed schedule for the move.
AWG member Glen's Market, of Forsyth, Mo., has written to the cooperative asking it to consider signing a contract with the union, calling the present situation "a downhill snowball."
Police Friday were seeking Elkland, Mo., Teamster Scott Archie, 44, a former AWG employee who has been charged with beating a replacement trucker outside a convenience store. Associated Press (04/15/00); Johnson, Doug
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