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A 16-day strike ended Wednesday at General Distributors Inc. in Oregon City, but a company executive said striking workers must show up Friday, Dec. 4, to keep their jobs.

(Stephanie Yao Long/Staff)

A 16-day strike at a Portland-area beer and wine distributor ended Wednesday with a union offer to go back to work, but the company's general manager said striking workers need to report to him Friday to keep their jobs.

Representatives of labor and management issued news releases about the latest developments in the labor dispute at General Distributors Inc. in Oregon City, but did not make themselves available for interviews Thursday.

, based in Portland, represents about 80 workers at

. The two sides met Wednesday with a federal mediator but made little progress during five hours of talks about a new contract to replace a three-year deal that expired Nov. 1.

Local 162 President Mark Davison said the union presented a comprehensive proposal to immediately end the strike and resume normal operations, saying it had the support of more than 80 percent of striking workers who refused to cross the picket line.

The union said it proposed a three-year extension of current wages, hours and working conditions but management rejected the offer. The local then held a meeting of striking workers, who voted to immediately and unconditionally return to work. Picket lines were removed by 8 p.m. Wednesday, Davison said.

Steve "Tiny" Irwin, general manager at General Distributors, said the company has hired about 30 permanent replacement employees since the strike began Nov. 17, slowing deliveries just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Irwin said the company made it clear to the mediator that any settlement must include retention of the new employees. He said the company rejected the union's proposed extension of the expired contract, including a provision to negotiate wages in the second and third years, along with reinstatement of all striking union employees.

The company said it would provide a counterproposal at a later date.

Irwin said all striking employees who want to return to work should report to him on Friday, Dec. 4. Any sales, driver or warehouse jobs not already taken by replacement workers will be filled with returning employees, he said, with an expectation that the company will be running at full capacity by Monday, Dec. 7.

No future bargaining dates have been set.

-- George Rede

grede@oregonian.com

503-294-4004

@georgerede