Union, MeadWestvaco talk.

Byline: John Reid Blackwell

Dec. 5--Union leaders at MeadWestvaco Corp.'s Covington paper mill continued bargaining with company officials for a new contract yesterday after workers voted Sunday to authorize a strike.

Of the 887 votes cast, 96 percent were in favor of authorizing a strike, said Roy Hall, acting president of the United Steelworkers Local 8-675, which represents 966 of the paper mill's employees.

The vote does not mean a strike is imminent, but it authorizes union leaders to call a strike if negotiations on a new contract do not progress.

"What we were hoping is that it would send a message [to the company] that it is time to …