Gains Reported in Talks to End Market Strike

The Teamsters Union and the Food Employers Council held their fourth secret negotiating session of the week on Friday. Sources close to the talks said progress was being made toward ending the Southern California supermarket strike and lockout, now in its 19th day.

Federal mediator Frank Allen, who has been supervising the negotiations, confirmed the talks but declined to provide any details.

In a related development, a smoke bomb, booby-trapped to be set off, was discovered early Friday at a Lucky markets’ distribution center in Irvine, and an explosives squad from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department defused the gadget, a police spokesman said.

Lt. Robert Leonard of the Irvine Police Department said the device was discovered in a restroom stall by a janitor at about 3:30 a.m. Leonard said the bomb was fastened to the stall door by a string and could have “inflicted serious injury” had it gone off.

Scene of Confrontations

The warehouse, which employs about 1,100 Teamsters Union members locked out in the strike, was the scene of various confrontations the first two days of the strike.

The Teamsters, who represent 12,000 drivers, warehouse personnel and office employees, and the United Food and Commercial Workers, who represent 10,000 meat cutters and meat wrappers, struck Vons on Nov. 5. Six other chains that are members of the council then locked out their employees in a show of support for Vons. They are Albertson’s, Alpha Beta, Hughes, Lucky, Ralphs and Safeway.