The contract would cover about 1,300 United Auto Worker members for the next five years, according to officials. Negotiators would not comment on specifics.
"Can I take your order?" an employee asks at The Dawg House drive-through window.
"It's Volvo, Volvo, Volvo, Volvo constantly through our drive through!" explained Shea McPherson, co-owner of the family-owner hot-dog restaurant that opened its doors in Dublin last summer.
The Dawg House drive through opens at 5 a.m. That's just enough time for a hot dog or biscuit before shift works starts at the Volvo plant.
"The majority of our customers come from Volvo. They come through in the morning, and they keep us busy," said The Dawg House co-owner Mark Hale.
Owners McPherson and Hale say they make business decision, like the drive-through hours, based, in part, around Volvo employees.
"We do whatever we can to make sure Volvo is taken care of, because they are a huge amount of our business," said McPherson.
Contract negotiations have dominated talk at the Dawg House in recent weeks, since many customers are current or former union employees. The owner's say they keep up with union news because it affects business.
"As soon as I came in this morning, there was a guy at the front counter saying "No Worries!" And we were like, "Thank Goodness!" said McPherson.
It's now "no worries" since the union's bargaining team and Volvo officials reached a tentative deal.
"The community as a whole gets nervous," said Shawn Utt, Pulaski Co. Community Development Director.
After a strike in 2008, union negotiations put the county on edge because what happens between Volvo and the Unions can affect the entire region.
"When the economy is good and Volvo is good, Pulaski Co. is strong," said Utt. "It’s a huge trickle down affect, county wide and region wide."
The contract is still tentative. Union members will vote on it March 27. If it fails it could be back to the negotiating table.
Union officials had no comment on the negotiation process or on the new agreement reached.
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Read the Full Press Release:
Volvo Trucks North America and UAW Reach Tentative Agreement
Volvo Trucks North America today announced that the company and the United Auto Workers reached a tentative agreement on terms of a new 5-year agreement that would cover approximately 1,300 UAW members at the New River Valley, VA, plant.
Further comment about the proposed agreement is being withheld pending ratification by UAW Local #2069. Ratification meetings are being scheduled by the UAW.
Volvo Trucks North America’s operations and products are guided by the company’s three core values: Quality, Safety and Environmental Care. The Volvo VN and VHD trucks are assembled in the United States at the New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia, while Volvo engines for North America are assembled in Hagerstown, Maryland. Both plants are certified to ISO14001 environmental and ISO9001 quality standards.
Volvo Trucks North America is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services, and one of the world's leading producers of heavy-diesel engines (9-16 liter). The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs more than 90,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells their products in more than 180 markets. Volvo Group sales for 2010 amounted to $36.7 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange and are traded OTC in the U.S.
