diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index c223c1a..1d38730 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ corrections:
 	Debian bug 531078: socat execs children with SIGCHLD ignored; corrected
 	to default. Thanks to Martin Dorey for reporting this bug.
 
+	added struct sockaddr_ll to union sockaddr_union to avoid "strict
+	aliasing" warnings (problem reported by Paul Wouters)
+
 	info message during socks connect showed bad port number on little
 	endian systems due to wrong byte order (thanks to Peter M. Galbavy for
 	bug report and patch)
diff --git a/sysutils.h b/sysutils.h
index e5e47b2..380552e 100644
--- a/sysutils.h
+++ b/sysutils.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /* source: sysutils.h */
-/* Copyright Gerhard Rieger 2001-2008 */
+/* Copyright Gerhard Rieger 2001-2012 */
 /* Published under the GNU General Public License V.2, see file COPYING */
 
 #ifndef __sysutils_h_included
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ union sockaddr_union {
 #if _WITH_IP6
    struct sockaddr_in6 ip6;
 #endif /* _WITH_IP6 */
+#if WITH_INTERFACE
+   struct sockaddr_ll ll;
+#endif
+
 } ;
 #endif /* _WITH_SOCKET */
 
diff --git a/xio-interface.c b/xio-interface.c
index 9f3b169..9f9bf5e 100644
--- a/xio-interface.c
+++ b/xio-interface.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /* source: xio-interface.c */
-/* Copyright Gerhard Rieger 2008 */
+/* Copyright Gerhard Rieger 2008-2012 */
 /* Published under the GNU General Public License V.2, see file COPYING */
 
 /* this file contains the source for opening addresses of raw socket type */
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ int _xioopen_interface(const char *ifname,
       needbind = true;
    }
    /*!!! parse by ':' */
-   ((struct sockaddr_ll *)&us)->sll_family = pf;
-   ((struct sockaddr_ll *)&us)->sll_protocol = htons(ETH_P_ALL);
-   ((struct sockaddr_ll *)&us)->sll_ifindex = ifidx;
+   us.ll.sll_family = pf;
+   us.ll.sll_protocol = htons(ETH_P_ALL);
+   us.ll.sll_ifindex = ifidx;
    uslen = sizeof(sall);
    needbind = true;
    xfd->peersa = (union sockaddr_union)us;
diff --git a/xioread.c b/xioread.c
index 08f7d82..31613d3 100644
--- a/xioread.c
+++ b/xioread.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /* source: xioread.c */
-/* Copyright Gerhard Rieger 2001-2009 */
+/* Copyright Gerhard Rieger 2001-2012 */
 /* Published under the GNU General Public License V.2, see file COPYING */
 
 /* this is the source of the extended read function */
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ ssize_t xioread(xiofile_t *file, void *buff, size_t bufsiz) {
        */
 #if defined(PF_PACKET) && defined(PACKET_OUTGOING)
       if (from.soa.sa_family == PF_PACKET) {
-	 if ((((struct sockaddr_ll *)&from.soa)->sll_pkttype & PACKET_OUTGOING)
+	 if ((from.ll.sll_pkttype & PACKET_OUTGOING)
 	    == 0) {
 	    errno = EAGAIN;  return -1;
 	 }