Continental Carbon, PACE union reach agreement at Ponca City plant

Friday, December 3rd 2004, 5:39 pm

By: News On 6

PONCA CITY, Okla. (AP) -- More than 3-and-a-half years after being locked out at a carbon black plant in Ponca City, members of a local union have reached an agreement with the company to return to work.

Continental Carbon Company announced Friday the company reached a new, 5-year agreement with the union that represents workers at the plant.

Neither the company nor the union would disclose specifics of the deal, but agreement paves the way for union members to return to work.

Local union spokesman Todd Carlson says he expects it will be three to four weeks before the first union worker is back on the job.

The company and union leaders have sparred publicly during the lockout. The union has filed at least one lawsuit against the company alleging environmental hazards. Meanwhile, company officials have accused union leaders of waging a smear campaign against it.