AKRON -- Workers at 16 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants in 10 states and Canada went on strike Thursday after the tiremaker and the steelworkers union failed to agree on a new labor contract.þþThe union said the company's latest proposal would have included two plant closings.þþÿThe company left us with no option,ÿ said Ron Hoover, executive vice president of the United Steelworkers of America. ÿWe cannot allow additional plant closures after the sacrifices we made three years ago to help this company survive.ÿþþThe old contract expired July 22 and both sides agreed to an indefinite day-to-day extension. The union issued a 72-hour notice Monday and said it would terminate the contract at midday Thursday if an agreement wasn't reached.þþThe company said it was prepared to keep its plants open and take care of its customers, but did not immediately say how it planned to do that. The strike might add expenses for Goodyear and spark tension with customers such as General Motors Corp. and Peoria-based Caterpillar Inc. should orders go unfilled.þþÿWe have a contingency plan in place and we don't see an interruption in supply,ÿ GM spokesman Tom Hill said. ÿGoodyear was aware of this and they have been preparing for it.ÿ Goodyear has stored 30 days' worth of tires to supply some GM plants, Hill said.þþGoodyear ranks No. 3 in global tire sales, based on revenue, behind top-ranked Bridgestone and Michelin, according to trade publication Tire Business.þþGoodyear spokesman Ed Markey declined to comment on whether the company's offer involved plant closings.þþÿOur final offer to the union included a plan to secure retiree medical benefits and provide job security and investment guarantees for USW plants,ÿ Markey said.þþÿThe union rejected a comprehensive set of proposals that mirror the other industry agreements.ÿþþThe union said it represents 15,000 employees at 12 Goodyear plants in the U.S. and four plants in Canada where its members have gone on strike. By the company's count, the U.S. plants have about 12,600 employees represented by the United Steelworkers.þþIn Akron, where the 108-year-old company is based, workers at Goodyear's research center streamed out of the building and joined union members holding signs on the picket line.þþIn St. Mary's in western Ohio, where more than 400 workers make rubber for Goodyear, union members stopped working after getting a call from the bargaining unit in Cincinnati. þþ
Source: Chicago Tribune
