USW Announces Intent to Terminate
Goodyear Contract
Notice Delivered; Extension Agreement ends in 72 Hours;
Likelihood of a Strike Increases
(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The United Steelworkers (USW) announced today that it delivered the required
notice to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and that unless a tentative agreement is reached, the
contract will terminate on October 5, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
As a three-year master contract approached its July 22, 2006 termination date, both sides entered into a
day-to-day extension agreement that provided both the company and the USW the option of
terminating the agreement upon delivering a 72-hour notice.
"We've been telling the company that we would stay at the bargaining table as long as progress was
being made," said USW executive vice president Ron Hoover. "There's no sense continuing these talks
if Goodyear is intent on gutting our contract and closing our plants."
"It's a sad situation and a poor reflection on this company that we are forced to take this action after all
we have done for them," Hoover added.
In 2003, the union agreed to a contract that provided the company with much needed financial
flexibility by agreeing to wage, pension and health care concessions. In addition, each local union
worked closely with local plant management to increase productivity and enhance efficiencies.
The master contract between the USW and Goodyear covers 14,000 workers at 12 U.S. plants in
Akron, Ohio; Gadsden, Ala.; Buffalo, N.Y., St. Marys, Ohio; Lincoln, Neb.; Topeka, Kan.; Tyler,
Texas; Danville, Va.; Marysville, Ohio; Union City, Tenn.; Sun Prairie, Wis.; and Fayetteville, N. C.
The USW represents more than 850,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada. Some 70,000 are employed
in the tire and rubber industry.