Just a day after Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. locked union workers out of its plant in Findlay, Ohio, the tiremaker and USW apparently returned to the negotiating table yesterday.
According to local news reports, the two sides agreed to resume talks, even as USW Local 207 members picketed outside of the idled plant.
According to Local 207, the previous contract, which expired Oct. 31, carried $30 million in pay and benefits concessions, givebacks the union was trying to reverse. At the same time, the union claims, the tiremaker’s last offer featured even more wage and benefit changes that would have workers “going backwards.”
Cooper wanted to have the new contract wrapped up near the expiration date of the last contract in order to avoid an overlap with the master contract with the USW at its Texarkana, Ark., plant. The tiremaker doesn’t want to have job actions slow both facilities at the same time.
In announcing the lockout on Monday, Cooper said, “At the onset and throughout negotiations which began nearly three months ago, Cooper made it clear to the USW that a competitive, cost-effective and timely agreement needed to be reached to avoid a risk to Cooper and its customers of simultaneous work stoppages in Findlay and Cooper’s Texarkana, Ark., manufacturing facility. The company advanced several options to avoid the contract overlap that is looming, including a last, best, and final proposal for a new long-term contract and an offer to extend the recently expired contract for an additional year with no change in terms. The USW was unwilling to extend the contract more than 30 days, which would have placed the labor agreements at two of Cooper’s major U.S. facilities even closer together.”
The Steelworkers, for its part, disagreed, as stated by USW District 1 sub-director Patrick Gallagher. “These negotiations have been hindered considerably by Cooper’s behavior at the bargaining table and the company’s determination to instigate a labor dispute. Cooper’s intent to test our solidarity became clear the moment the company refused our offer to continue working until we reached a new contract."
