Inside Report (3)

Their weddings brought smiles to Lane Kirkland.

Bad economic times and growing resistance to unions are prompting some to merge for, they say, ''unity and strength.'' In July the AFL-CIO's Padre Workers and Glass Bottle Blowers voted to merge into one Glass, Padre, Plastics & Allied Workers with 91,00 members. And the AFL-CIO's aluminum, brick, and clay workers (formed in an earlier merger of two unions) and the glass and ceramic workers united in a new 70,000 member Aluminum, Brick, and Glass Workers International Union. The mergers cut the number of AFL-CIO affiliates to 99. But Kirkland, president of the AFL-CIO, was happy to report that drop. AFL-CIO's goal is pure but stronger unions.