A so-called “Nine Man Committee,” comprised of three members of each tire company bargaining group, is in Knoxville, Tenn., today to “review the tentative agreement reached and determine if it will form the basis for a “pattern agreement.” The committee may reject or accept the Michelin-USW deal as its proposed pattern contract, which will then be taken to Goodyear and Bridgestone/Firestone as the USW’s negotiating base.

Michelin was targeted by the USW for a pattern contract, though few expect either Goodyear or Bridgestone/Firestone to follow any pattern deal. Michelin and USW announced July 25 that they had reached a tentative deal on a three-year contract.

Members at the three plants covered under the Michelin-USW proposed settlement – Opelika and Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Ft. Wayne, Ind. – have yet to vote on the tentative agreement. No meeting or votes dates have been set.

“Pattern bargaining doesn’t mean every piece of the pattern agreement will be copied exactly. It means in areas of wages, benefits for actives and retirees and overall cost to the company the ‘Big Three’ agreements reached will be comparable. It also means, for the union, that the goals established for all R/PIC agreements have been achieved,” said USW Vice President Ron Hoover.