Wheatland Tube Co. and its striking workers held a round of negotiations Monday morning and another session in the afternoon with no deal in hand.

Talks are expected to resume today.

When asked to describe the mood, Bill Kerins, vice president of operations for Wheatland Tube said it was "pretty somber." He declined to give further specifics. Messages left for union leaders late Monday afternoon weren't immediately returned.

Members of United Steelworkers Local 1660 went on strike April 28 after its labor contract expired. The local, which represents 470 production and maintenance workers at the company's Wheatland pipe and tube plant, said the company has been seeking concessions on such issues as co-payments on health-care insurance and changes in pension and retiree benefits.

Wheatland Tube has countered it needs the changes to be competitive.