It is not clear how the proposed merger of Carlisle Company and Titan Wheel International will affect charges the United Steelworkers of America filed Jan. 29 against Titan, a federal labor official said Friday.

&uot;It’s too early to tell, since we just received this information (about the merger),&uot;&160;said Rodney Johnson of the National Labor Relations Board’s New Orleans office.

But the United Steelworkers of America maintain that the merger will not affect the NLRB charges. &uot;They would assume the (charges) of their predecessors,&uot;&160;said a national USWA source who did not want his name used.

Leo &uot;T-Bone&uot; Bradley, president of USWA Local 303L, could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans office is still waiting for advice from the NLRB’s Washington headquarters on how to pursue the charges Local 303L&160;filed against Titan, Johnson said.

The union charged that, among other things, Titan broke federal law by promising workers benefits for resigning from the union, asking applicants about crossing a picket line, not considering union members for employment and making applicants attend training without notifying the union.

On May 13, the New Orleans office sent the charges to the agency’s Division of Advice in Washington, which will advise New Orleans of whether the charges should be investigated.

The New Orleans office will carry out that recommendation as soon as possible, Johnson has said. Until those charges are resolved, the NLRB will not approve or deny a Titan worker’s petition to decertify Local 303L as the Natchez plant’s union.

Local 303L&160;members have been on strike from Titan’s Natchez plant since September, shortly after the sale of the assets of bankrupt Condere Corp., which owned the plant, to Titan was approved.