1979's Bargaining Calendar

Even after the oil workers and Teamsters settle their contracts, an extraordinary number of big pacts, covering a wide variety of workers, will be up for renegotiation next year. A rundown of the most important:

Rubber. Contracts between 70,000 members of the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America and the four major tire companies--Firestone, BF Goodrich, Goodyear and Uniroyal--expire in April. The militant union has conducted eight major strikes since 1960; the last, in 1976, dragged on for 141 days. Another next year is likely. Still, the union's demands focus on job security rather than wages, and the cost of the settlement could be partly offset by changes in work rules.

Public employees. Pacts covering 400,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees must be concluded by April or May in order to give politicians time to work the figures into budgets, even though most contracts do not expire until June 30. This moderate union might actually be helped by the 7% guideline since, in an atmosphere of fiscal conservatism and budget cuts, it is unlikely to have got much more. Now, it will have an argument against settling for less.

Clothing. Between the end of May and the end of June, contracts between 150,000 members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union and apparel manufacturers will expire. New demands will be modest and wage increases will be tied to productivity gains. The union is well aware that its industry is threatened by low-cost imports, particularly from the Third World.

Electrical workers. Some 300,000 electrical workers in four unions will negotiate new contracts between June and December; the pattern is usually set by the General Electric settlement in June. Most of the unions, again sensitive about imports, are expected to concentrate on job security, and if moderate wage settlements are reached in other industries, the electrical workers will probably follow suit.

Autos. The really big one. In September, contracts between the 650,000 members of the United Auto Workers and Detroit's Big Three expire. During the past two decades, the union has struck one or another of the companies each time around; early speculation is that this year its prime target will be GM. Main demands will be for inflation protection and a shorter work week, but the liberal union's stance could harden if Carter moves to cut social spending.

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