BFNAT Gets Tentative Bloomington Deal

(Akron/Tire Review) Reports from Bloomington, Ill., indicate that USW Local 787 has reached a tentative contract agreement with Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire.

Published: April 20, 2007

Earlier this month, BFNAT reached a tentative deal with the United Steelworkers covering tire plants in Akron, Des Moines and LaVergne, Tenn.

Bridgestone Americas Holding also reached contract deals with the USW for non-tire plants in Russellville, Ark., and Noblesville, Ind. The Bloomington OTR tire plant was on a separate contract.

USW members at the Bloomington plant are expected to vote on the new contract this weekend and into Tuesday next week.

Votes at the other USW represented plants are expected to be completed by Apr. 25.

According to the report, USW workers at BFNAT’s truck tire plant in warren County, Tenn., also on its own contract, ratified a new three-year pact last week.

The commercial tire market is cautiously recovering from 2023 challenges

To better understand commercial tire expectations for the remainder of the year, Tire Review recently sat down with Pierluigi Cumo, VP of B2B products at Michelin North America.

By David Sickels

David Sickels is the Editor of Tire Review. He has a history of working in the media, marketing and automotive industries in both print and online.

Published: May 1, 2024

Despite a tough commercial tire market in 2023 due to overstock and and the effects of a rubber-banding supply chain, some tire manufacturers are expressing a cautious optimism for stabilization and gradual recovery through the rest of 2024 and into 2025. North American fleets are focusing their efforts on operational efficiency and profitability amidst lower shipping rates.