The city sought a temporary restraining order ahead of a looming strike by the Teamsters Local 190 to be "ahead of the game," said Rick Harden, the human resources manager for the city. The union, whose members on Wednesday narrowly rejected a three-year offer by the city, had agreed to work through the close of business Friday but threatened to strike any time after that.
Repeated telephone messages left for Joe Dwyer, secretary-treasurer of the local union, were not immediately returned.
Union members last month voted down an offer by the city and authorized a strike. A mediator worked with both sides in Billings for two days in late July, and the city issued the offer that the union rejected Wednesday.
Though the offer, termed by the city as its "last, best and final," addressed issues including longevity pay, concerns remain with how long a worker must be employed for it to kick in, the union has said. Another big issue for the union is seniority for promotions or vacancies.
Representatives for the two sides met briefly Thursday to see if there was common ground to work from. But Dwyer said it yielded no real progress.
Harden said Friday that the city has contingency plans in place to hire replacements workers _ temporary and permanent _ after a strike would be called. He said it would likely also seek other court orders _ if and when a strike occurs _ to keep workers in certain fields from walking off the job, though he declined to elaborate.
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