With contracts for two tiremakers and another tire plant set to expire before noon on Saturday, July 27, the limited amount of information available indicates the USW and Goodyear, Bridgestone Americas and Michelin North America remain far from signing a new multi-year pact.
At the same time, the silence of the tiremakers and standard rhetoric by the union would seem to indicate that no one is panicked. Yet.
Expiring Saturday are master contracts covering Goodyear plants in Gadsden, Ala.; Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C. and Topeka, Kan. Bridgestone Americas plants in Akron; Des Moines, Iowa; Russellville, Ark.; and LaVergne, Tenn., are also up. In addition, Bridgestone plants in Warren County, Tenn., and Bloomington, Ind., have separate contracts that also are being worked on. Michelin has but two union plants – hold-overs from its acquisition of Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Co. – in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Fort Wayne, Ind.
On its Solidarity Alert website, the USW representatives for Goodyear plants said July 12 that while it has offered “numerous proposals concerning pensions, wages, healthcare, job security, vacation, vacation shutdowns and changes to our current SUB Plan” Goodyear remains “far from where we need to be and time is getting short.”
On July 23, the USW negotiators were a bit sterner: “Little progress has been made on matters concerning” a number of issues, including wages, healthcare, pensions and vacations.
“Our members should start to prepare for the financial struggles that may lie ahead,” the negotiating team warned. “Should you feel the need to apply for a 401k loan, you must do so before the contract deadline expires.”
They warned, too, that, “Employees will keep their health insurance for 90 days from the day of the strike or lockout. The employees’ health insurance will stop after that point and they will then be eligible for COBRA. Employees are also eligible for USW strike benefits three weeks following the day of the strike.”
At the same time, the USW negotiators said, “Reaching a fair and equitable agreement continues to be the goal of your Policy Committee. We will continue to work diligently toward that end.”
