Several obstacles must be overcome before Firestone...

Several obstacles must be overcome before Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. and striking United Rubber Workers can resume negotiations, but a federal mediator says new talks could be set soon. David Thorley of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, who spoke with both sides in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, said he hoped that negotiations could be arranged “within the next several days” but that a number of unspecified points remain at issue. About 4,700 Firestone employees went on strike Sunday.