RUMFORD — Union members and a NewPage Corp. management team are scheduled to meet next Tuesday to continue to work out new contract language before beginning negotiations for employee salaries and benefits.

Local 900 Union President Matt Bean said Tuesday afternoon there have been a few meetings since the most recent three-year contract expired on July 1.

He said the two sides met for three days in October, and two days in November. It is hoped that next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s meetings will end the discussion on specific language used in any potential new contract, Bean said.

Then, in mid-January, the two sides are expected to get down to nuts and bolts by beginning discussions on salaries and benefits.

“It’s still early in the negotiations process so I don’t want to talk about anything specific,” Bean said.

He said a team of 10 people from the union side, including local union officials and one representative from the United Steel Workers, which is the organization that represents the 700 hourly workers at the local NewPage mill, and about an equal number of management representatives will meet in the mill’s administrative building.

He said setting up contract talks was delayed because of the turnover in chief executive officers and other top officials at the Miamisburg, Ohio-based corporation.

Employment and operations have settled down at the local mill during the past few months after a couple of years of layoffs and machine shutdowns. Bean said the Nos. 10, 12 and 15 paper machines, and the No. 9 pulp dryer are all operating 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week.

Management could not be contacted for this story.

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