Typically, we start bargaining before a contract expires in hopes of reaching an agreement. It's not unusual for the bargaining to drag on longer than that.

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They would like to get pay raises to keep up with costs of living, which we would also like to consider. But obviously, the two things (raises and health and pension costs) will require a lot of negotiation to find a solution that meets both sides' needs. It's just taking us longer to get there, but we'll get there.

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The picketing is for informational purposes. We are, in fact, going to be back at the bargaining table in a couple of weeks, so a lot of the concerns they're expressing will be taken up at the bargaining table.

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