In 45 minutes, Centre Daily Times management rejected a proposal by its production staff employees at Monday's contract negotiation meeting, according to a pressroom employee.

"The thing is, they keep telling us they want to resolve this, but then they reject our proposal without bringing anything to the meeting," said Bill Lieb, chairman of the negotiating committee for Graphics Communication International Union and an employee.

Representatives for the employees' union said they were disappointed that the company flatly rejected the proposal and did not offer a counter- proposal.

CDT spokesman Ted Suffolk did not return repeated calls to comment.

Lieb said the group probably will not meet again before February.

The proposal had offered to relieve the company of certain legal burdens if a union security clause was approved, Lieb said.

Twenty pressroom employees have been working without a contract during the 25 months of deliberations. They plan to remain at their jobs, and production of the newspaper should not be disrupted.

The union security clause has been the stumbling block throughout the off-and-on talks.

Under the union security clause, the company is required to hire only union members. If non-union employees are hired they must join the union within 30 days.

"We really thought our proposal offered a fair compromise," said Larry Peck, representative for GCIU. He said he was frustrated, but the union will continue talks.

"We are still willing to negotiate," Peck said. "But I don't think it is our place to make another proposal."

The production staff employees also are negotiating for a wage increase. However, union security was the only topic discussed at the meeting, Lieb said, adding that his colleagues want to concentrate on union security.

"The other items will fall together if we get the union security," Lieb said. "That is the foundation."

CDT management, under former publisher Chris Harte, did not favor unionization and urged its employees in October to keep a union-free environment. Harte said the CDT opposed union security because it wants employees to join the union on their own free will, not by contract.

Current President and Publisher, James A. Moss, has not been present during the talks and has not decided his position. Moss said he wants to review the two-year background of the contract stalemate before he becomes active in the negotiations.

The CDT fulfills printing contracts with other local publications including The Daily Collegian.