During voting on Dec. 7-8, the contract was approved by USW Local 207 members 648 to 264. It will run through Oct. 31, 2011.
“This contract was very different from any negotiations we have faced before,” said Mark Krivoruchka, Cooper senior human resources vice president. “The Local 207 committee needed to adjust wages and working conditions in a way that makes Cooper more cost competitive in the marketplace. I would like to thank the local and international union leadership, as well as membership, and acknowledge the good work they provided to approve and ratify a contract that positions the Findlay plant more competitively in today’s uncertain economic environment.”
All of Cooper’s four U.S. plants Findlay, Albany, Ga., Tupelo, Miss., and Texarkana, Ark. remain under review and face possible closure.
Various news reports say that Arkansas and Texas are working on an incentive package to keep open the Texarkana plant, while Mississippi officials have proposed a $30 million financial package to keep the Tupelo plant open. (Tire Review/Akron)