COMINCO <CLT> B.C. WORKERS AUTHORIZE STRIKE
Cominco Ltd's 3,200
unionized workers at its Trail and Kimberley, British Columbia
lead-zinc operations voted 94 pct in favor of authorizing a
possible strike, the union said in reply to an inquiry.
    Their two-year contracts expire on April 30.
    A spokesman for the United Steelworkers of America, which
represents the workers, reiterated that private mediation talks
are set for Monday and that no strike date had been set.
   
    The union has said it is asking for a three pct wage hike
in each year of a proposed two-year contract, while Cominco has
offered a 40 ct an hour increase in the third year of a
proposed contract if workers agree to loosen rules on job
classifications.
    The average unionized worker's wage is now about 14.78 dlrs
an hour.
    Cominco's Trail operations produced 240,000 long tons of
zinc and 110,000 long tons of lead in 1986. The Sullivan mine
at Kimberley produced 2.2 mln long tons of ore last year, most
for processing at the Trail smelter.
 Reuter
