Chrysler To Unveil Restructuring Plan

TIME FOR ACTION: Industry analysts have predicted job losses and the possible closures of two plants after the auto giant lost US$1.5 billion over the last quarter

AP, DETROIT
Sunday, December 24, 2006
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group will unveil a restructuring plan that includes job cuts and plant closures when it releases this year's earnings in February, a company official said on Friday.

The official, who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to speak about the plan, said the restructuring will not be as drastic as in 2001, when Chrysler shed 40,000 employees with layoffs and the sale of component plants.

Company spokesman Jason Vines would not comment on the plan, details of which were reported by the Detroit News on Friday.

Industry analysts have predicted job cuts and up to two plant closures as Chrysler moves to stem losses. The company lost US$1.5 billion in the third quarter, and its sales were down 7.7 percent through last month compared to sales in the first 11 months of last year.

Chrysler chief executive officer Tom LaSorda has said he does not expect widespread buyout and early retirement offers to be included in the restructuring.

Domestic competitors Ford Motor Co and General Motors Corp (GM) both offered buyouts to all their hourly workers earlier this year.

About 38,000 Ford workers signed up for the offers, while 34,000 GM employees have decided to leave the company.

LaSorda has been giving the DaimlerChrysler governing board updates on the restructuring at its meetings, the official said. The board last met on Wednesday.

Analysts have speculated that a Chrysler plant in Newark, Delaware, that makes large sport utility vehicles and one in St. Louis that makes pickup trucks are likely to be closed when the restructuring is announced.

DaimlerChrysler AG plans to make its earnings announcement for this year at Chrysler Group's Auburn Hills headquarters on Feb. 14.

In July, the company began to look for cuts amounting to US$1,000 per car, but expanded its cost-cutting efforts in September after the dramatic third-quarter loss.

Goodyear, Strikers Reach Tentative Deal

By M.R. KROPKO
Saturday, December 23, 2006

CLEVELAND -- Thousands of striking workers are preparing to review a tentative deal between Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the United Steelworkers union to resolve an 11-week dispute over health care and plans to close a tire factory in Texas.
About 12,600 union workers in the U.S. and another 1,400 workers considered inactive, including those on layoff, will be able to vote on the contract Thursday at ratification meetings in their communities.

"We have to see it. It's better than nothing," Mark Pratt, a Goodyear maintenance worker and treasurer of United Steelworkers Local 904 in Sun Prairie, Wis., said after hearing of the agreement reached Friday. "It's nice that something is going to be coming across, and at least we have a chance now. It would be a fantastic Christmas gift."

The world's third-largest tiremaker and the union reached the deal after both sides resumed talks in Pittsburgh early this week. The strike began Oct. 5.

The deal allows Akron-based Goodyear to stick with plans to close the plant in Tyler, Texas, but not immediately. It provides for a one-year transition period during which workers will have the opportunity to take advantage of retirement buyouts. The plant employs 1,100 workers.

Goodyear on Oct. 30 announced it was planning to shut down its unprofitable Tyler plant that makes wholesale private label tires. The plant's fate had been a key issue in negotiations. But the plant's lifespan could not be won beyond the end of 2007, the union said.

"Though we're not entirely happy with the outcome at Tyler, we were able to ensure that as long as Goodyear stays in the market for the tires built at Tyler, those tires will have to be produced at USW-represented plants in the U.S.," said Thomas Conway, USW vice president and the head of union's Goodyear negotiations.

Goodyear said the agreement helps the company's plans to significantly reduce costs and improve competitiveness in its North American tire business.

"Our goal was always to reach a fair agreement that improves our ability to compete and win with customers. This agreement would accomplish that goal," said Robert J. Keegan, chairman and chief executive officer.

The previous three-year labor agreement expired July 22.

The union said it agreed to a company-financed trust of more than $1 billion that will secure medical and prescription drug benefits for current and future retirees. The USW also said Goodyear would triple its capital investments to at least $550 million in plants covered in the contract.

"This agreement validates the solidarity of our members and their families, who wouldn't allow the company to walk away from obligations earned through a lifetime of hard work and loyalty," USW President Leo W. Gerard said.

The 12 Goodyear plants covered by the tentative agreement are in Akron, Marysville and St. Marys in Ohio; Tonowanda, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Lincoln, Neb.; Sun Prairie, Wis.; Topeka, Kan.; Tyler, Texas; and Union City, Tenn.

Goodyear said it has made a proposal to its Canadian workers and is awaiting a response. Goodyear has two in plants Toronto and plants in Collingwood and Owen Sound.
During the strike, Goodyear has made tires at some of its North American plants with nonunion and temporary workers as well as some managers. That pushed the union to publicly express concerns about the safety of the newly trained workers and the quality of the tires they made. Goodyear said the workers followed the same safety and quality standards union employees did.
Goodyear has about 80,000 employees and makes tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals in 29 countries.

Gary Schaefer, vice president of the Steelworkers Local 286 in Lincoln, Neb., said he hadn't read the entire agreement and was unsure how members might respond to it.

"We'll call this hurdle one," Schaefer, 54, said of the tentative deal. "There's all kinds of things that still got to happen."

Strikers Believe No News Is Good News In Goodyear

(12/21/06 -- AKRON, OH) - Union members walking picket lines say they hope no news coming out of renewed contract talks with Goodyear means there's progress being made.

The United Steelworkers union represents some 15-thousand striking Goodyear workers. That includes those at a plant in Fayetteville. Neither union officials nor the Akron-based company have talked about the negotiations that resumed Monday in Pittsburgh.
Both sides have confirmed the talks are ongoing today.

The strike began October 5th.

A spokesman for the union's local in Akron says he's heard that negotiations have gone late into the night, which he says can be interpreted as a good thing.

One veteran Goodyear worker says the company and union have an interest in getting a settlement soon because both sides are losing money.

Goodyear shares hit their highest level in four years on Wednesday at 19-73. This morning, they cooled off to 19-44 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Will the Goodyear Strike Be Done By Christmas?
By Gilbert Baez
December 18, 2006 (FAYETTEVILLE)
Talks are underway tonight in the 75 day-long Goodyear Strike. More than 15 hundred workers, at the Goodyear Plant in Fayetteville North Carolina, walked off the job in October and have been on strike since.

With Christmas approaching many may begin to wonder about the impact that this strike is having on the employees' families.
While Goodyear employees have been standing in picket lines on Ramsey Street for nearly three months they have also been standing in lines at the local union hall acquiring small amounts of money on Visa gift cards to assist them through these hard times.

Goodyear Employee, Cynthia Nichols, had this to say about the events, "With the Visa&and you know, the help that the union gives us, they haven't left us out in the cold."

Union leaders report that they've had to help pay rent, car notes as well as electric bills for striking members. Local Union Vice President Mike Price commented, "We&it impacts us enough that we get on it right then and call the electricity company or the car company or whatever and tell them&hey wait a minute &we've got money coming. Do not cut this person's lights off."

Goodyear executives have said that they are seeking a contract that will help the company become globally competitive. The company has said that its offer protects wages, proposes upgrades to union plants and offers a plan to provide health care coverage for retirees.

Employees are hopeful that a new deal and contract are in the works, but if not&"There won't be no Christmas, it'll be real slim. Real slim&if it wasn't for what the union has done for us as far as food vouchers, we would be scraping. At least we can eat." Says Goodyear Employee Kenneth Hubbard.

Goodyear Strikers Stage Demonstration At Frankfort Tire Store
BY CHARLES PEARL
December 17, 2006
Christmas shopping had to wait.
Educating the public as to why 15,000 Goodyear factory workers across America are on strike was Randy Pidcocks top priority for two hours on a chilly Saturday morning.
Pidcock, district organizing coordinator for the United Steelworkers, was one of about a dozen people holding signs and handing out information around the Goodyear Tire Store on U.S. 127 south in Frankfort.
Saturdays event was part of a nationwide AFL-CIO-United Steelworkers Day of Action in 130 cities across the United States, Pidcock said.
Other unions represented at Saturdays event in Frankfort were the Communications Workers of America and United Food and Commercial Workers.
We intend to keep up the pressure on Goodyear and we want to educate the general public, said Pidcock, who works in Frankfort and lives in Harrodsburg.
The sign Pidcock was holding said, Goodyear: Recklessly Driving Experienced Workers Off the Job. Lexingtons Terri Cook, standing next to him, held a sign saying, Goodyear: Recklessly Gutting Retirees Health Care.
Larry Jaggers, secretary/treasurer of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, held a sign saying, Goodyear, Recklessly Driving Jobs Out of America.
Pidcock said the retirees health care was something Goodyear promised the workers, and that promise should be honored.
Jerry Carney, a maintenance worker at GE in Louisville and the union safety representative for IUE/CWA Local 761, said while Goodyear is trying to take away retirees health-care benefits, the government is letting them do it. Somebody is going to have to start standing up and fighting for them.
These workers gave up a lot of their benefits at the last contract. And last year, Goodyear made almost a billion dollars in profits and didnt offer to give anything back to the workers. Executives and the CEO got more money and the workers are losing their jobs.
The strike started Oct. 5.
We want the public to know that studies from previous work stoppages show the tires made by what we call scab workers are not safe, Pidcock said. They are inferior quality because they are made by people who are not experienced tire makers.
Kentucky no longer has a Goodyear tire manufacturing plant. The closest ones are in Danville, Va., where more than 2,000 workers are on strike, and in Gadsden, Ala., Pidcock said.
Pidcock said some of the union representatives went inside the Goodyear Tire Store in Frankfort to explain the event.
They are not inviting us to be here or necessarily happy about it, Pidcock said. But they understand this is something we have to do.
I just bought a $600 set of tires here before the strike started. This is one of the authorized service centers for our staff vehicles owned by United Steelworkers. We normally do a lot of business with Goodyear. But that wont continue as long as the strike is going on. It will hopefully after the strike.
Macie Newman, manager of the local Goodyear store, said he couldnt comment on Saturdays event outside the store.
Ed Markey, Goodyear spokesman in Akron, Ohio, said Saturday that both sides will return to bargaining on Monday. There has been no formal negotiating session since Nov. 16. We see this as a necessary and positive step in the process.
Saturdays nationwide event by union workers didnt have anything to do with the return to bargaining, Markey said.
Keep in mind that these types of demonstrations have been occurring for at least a month, he said.
Markey said Goodyears goal in negotiations would be the same as it has been since the start.
We want a fair contract that enables us to be competitive when with our customers, Markey said. Since the strike began, Goodyears focus has been the same increase our staff, get people trained and keep making quality tires to serve our customers.
Regarding the retirees health-care issue, Markey said, We have proposed a trust to secure retiree benefits for decades into the future. It would make the retiree medically safer and more secure. What we have proposed has previously been embraced by the steelworkers in other industries.
Regarding moving tire manufacturing operations from the U.S. to other countries, Markey said Goodyear has a greater presence in North America than any other tire maker. We are committed to North American manufacturing.
Regarding the claim that inexperienced workers are now making Goodyear tires, Markey said, They are receiving the same training that every new hire gets. We are continuing to make tires with both salaried associates the regular, full-time Goodyear employees and with some temporary workers, and with some union workers who have chosen to come back to work. Goodyear will never compromise quality.

Goodyear Gets Court Order Limiting Number of Strikers
By: Lindsay Shivley

Goodyear strikers faced another bump in the road this morning. The United Steelworkers protesters got word Friday morning from Goodyear that their numbers outside the plant would have to be limited from now on.

Goodyear got injunctions against the protesters, limiting their numbers to only 25 strikers at a time, including shift changes.

Strikers said the injunction may be because of several hundred protesters lining the entrance of the Goodyear plant on Tuesday.

Goodyear did not respond when asked to comment on the injunctions.

USW Says Goodyear Repeatedly Snubs Offer of Experienced Tire Builders to Solve Military Production for Soldiers in Iraq
December 14, 2006, 12:56 PM ET

News From USW: The United Steelworkers (USW) today blasted Goodyear's neglect in responding to the USW long-standing offer to meet the challenge of fully satisfying the demand for tires on Humvees used by soldiers in Iraq.

Yesterday, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, requested that the company and union work out a deal to return 200 striking workers to a production plant in Topeka, Kansas to meet the military needs for its Humvees, the workhorse vehicle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although Goodyear continues to claim that it is meeting the military's production needs, Rep. Hunter says that with production levels reduced by 35%, there is a shortage within the military.

"We have long recognized this potential problem and have made a number of offers to the company to work collectively to solve it," said Tom Conway, USW International vice president. "We put it in writing on October 2, when we delivered notice to the company of our intent to terminate our contract extension agreement."

In a letter addressed to Jim Allen, Goodyear Director, Global Labor Relations, Conway wrote:

"With regard to the manufacture of any product used directly to support our nation's troops, we are prepared to meet with you to discuss an orderly process that would allow the Company's non-bargaining unit personnel to continue to meet those limited needs."

The 200-worker proposal originated with the USW and was part of a plan developed by Robert Tripp, USW Local 307 president at the Goodyear-Topeka facility. "We clearly understand the needs of our soldiers," said Tripp. "Many of our members are Veterans. We are more than willing to do our part to provide them with the best equipment possible."

Following Rep. Duncan's call yesterday to USW International Leo W. Gerard, Conway approached Goodyear with another offer to help the company meet the demands of the military. "They dismissed the offer and refused to even acknowledge that a problem exists," said Conway.

Just this morning Conway approached the company with yet another offer: If Goodyear would dismiss the temporary workers in Topeka, within hours, the company will have a crew of 200 experienced Steelworker tire builders in the plant to make sure the needs of the troops are met. Goodyear declined the request, saying that it had an internal meeting and concluded that the situation is "under control."

"Let's set the record straight," said Conway, a Vietnam era veteran. "We have family members fighting in Iraq, so we want to do everything necessary to ensure their safety. That's why we have time and time again offered our help so that the company can meet the needs of our fighting men and women."

Goodyear forced more than 15,000 workers in 16 plants in the U.S. and Canada out on strike on October 5 by refusing to negotiate a fair and equitable contact with its USW-represented employees. Despite sacrifices made by workers and retirees three years ago to help the company get back on track, Goodyear continues to insist on more closures and health care cuts.

Humvee Tire Shortage Prompting Call For End To Goodyear Strike
Story by Fally Afani Ruzik
December 14, 2006

The Topeka Goodyear plant is the only Goodyear facility producing Humvee tires. Now the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is calling for a deal to get striking workers back on the job. "We've got to get those workers back to the plant or we're going to be in a situation where we literally are short of Humvee tires," says Rep. Duncan Hunter, Republican from California. "And this Humvee, this light utility vehicle, is the backbone of transportation for the United States Army. The Army fights on wheels, and this is a big part of those wheels that the US Army fights on." Congressman Duncan Hunter says production is down about 35 percent, creating a shortage of tires for the military's workhorse vehicle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Striking Workers At Goodyear Seek Global Support
M.R. KROPKO
Dec.11 2006

CLEVELAND - Birgit Birgersson-Brorsson, a union officer for IF Metall in Sweden, spent an afternoon recently with strikers on a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. picket line. Wood scraps burning in a barrel helped keep them warm.

She came a long way to do that.

"I think it's very important," she said. "Companies seem to move plants to Baltic countries and China. Companies are working together worldwide and we need to work together, too."

Strikers against Goodyear are trying to use their union's international ties to raise awareness of their two-month strike. The Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers on Tuesday brought a friendly seven-member labor delegation from Sweden to visit strikers in Akron, where Goodyear is based and where it has a small manufacturing plant.

In all, about 12,000 Goodyear workers are on strike in North America. Workers at a Topeka, Kan., plant that makes tires for trucks and earthmovers are among those striking.

Birgersson-Brorsson, 46, used the visit to show support.

"We don't have many strikes in Sweden. I would like to tell them don't give up. It's about human rights, really," she said.

Goodyear workers went on strike Oct. 5 after talks broke down on a new contract. Neither side has said when it will return to talks, which broke off again Nov. 17 after a four-day resumption.

Since the strike began, Goodyear has been making tires at some of its North American plants with nonunion and temporary workers as well as some managers. The company is counting on production at its international plants to help supply North American customers.

Goodyear has said it intends to close its Tyler, Texas, tire plant by next year because the company is ending production of low-profit private-label tires. The union wants all plants protected from closing. The USW also strongly objected to a company proposal for creating a retirees' health care trust, which the union argues shortchanges retirees.

Goodyear executives have said they are seeking a contract that will help the company be globally competitive.

Goodyear spokesman Ed Markey said Goodyear's only concern is "running our business and making high quality Goodyear tires everyday."

In 2005, about $9.1 billion of Goodyear's $19.7 billion of net sales, or about 46 percent, came from its North American Tire segment. Goodyear has operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

"It's a global customer base," Markey said. The company has about 80,000 employees globally.

That's not lost on the Steelworkers.

"To win this fight, one of the things we have to do is engage other unions internationally. It's an opportunity to alert other unions about the struggle here," said Gerald Fernandez, assistant to the USW president for international solidarity.

The USW has recently signed strategic alliances with unions in Australia, Brazil, Germany, and Mexico to coordinate bargaining and organizing with common employers, support each other during strikes and disputes with common employers and form industrial activities and policies.

"It's a way of expanding a fight for our members and retirees outside the borders of the United States. It's kind of difficult to fight a corporation exclusively here when it's certainly got the ability to generate money in other countries," Fernandez said.

He said the union will have other international delegations come to the United States and will send groups of Goodyear strikers to Europe and South America, where Goodyear has operations. A delegation recently was in Brazil.

"I'm hard pressed to see how and why that's going to persuade Goodyear's management to change its own position significantly," said Alan Tonelson, a research fellow at the Washington-based U.S. Business and Industry Council. "I really don't understand how these workers can hope to succeed in the absence of fundamental changes in U.S. trade policy."

He said a low-income labor surplus in places like China work against what gains the USW may try to make.

"The only type of global union cooperation that could significantly help a U.S. union like the USW would be if unionization and labor rights lead to very dramatic strides in low-income nations," Tonelson said.

Union Raises Cash For Striking Goodyear Workers
December 8, 2006

SUDBURY, Ont. -- Picketing Canadian Goodyear employees with empty pockets got a bit of relief this week when the United Steelworkers union handed more than $15,000 to striking plant workers and their families.
The union raised the cash through plant gate collections in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. Organizers also distributed turkeys on Goodyear picket lines in Collingwood, Owen Sound and Toronto.

"At no time of year is it easy to be on strike, but this time of year is especially difficult," said USW Ontario/Atlantic Director Wayne Fraser. "Our members in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and elsewhere know what it's like and they have shown their willingness to help. Generosity is a Steelworker tradition."

The 400 workers were among 14,000 across 16 plants in North America who have been on strike for 10 weeks.

Both the tire maker and the union have taken a hard line over company plans to close plants and slash employee benefits.

Goodyear insists it must cut spending to offset rising raw material costs and competition from cheaper, overseas manufacturers.

The union, however, says the company wants to layoff workers in order to expand importing tires manufactured in low-wage countries.

"This fight is not just about Goodyear," said Fraser. "It's about maintaining jobs and manufacturing in Canada. The drain on families and communities has got to stop. The Goodyear strikers are a vanguard in the fight to save Canadian jobs."

The workers walked off the job in protest over the company’s demands to close factories and import tires from low-wage countries. As well, Goodyear workers vow to hold out “one day longer” than the company to obtain a fair and equitable contract that provides reasonable job security and for a fair deal on retiree health care.

Leo Gerard Appeared on "Lou Dobbs Tonight"
December 6, 2006

Pittsburgh – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard appeared as a guest last evening on the CNN program, Lou Dobbs Tonight, televised at 6-7 pm, ET.
Gerard discussed Goodyear’s plan to close U.S. tire-making plants and move production to China. Some 15,000 workers at plants in the U.S. and Canada went on strike Oct. 5, following months of contract talks where Goodyear kept demanding concessions that threaten employees’ jobs and retirement security.
Gerard told how Goodyear has invested $150 in outsourcing over the last three years with $18 million invested in its plant in Dalian China during the last year alone. “Goodyear is increasing its imports from China ten-fold,” Gerard said. “And it’s already importing millions of tires from countries where workers are oppressed.”
Three years ago when Goodyear was facing financial insolvency, the union agreed to a series of concessions, including a plant closing at Huntsville, Ala. “The workers are responsible for getting the company back on its feet,” he said. “Last year they made a profit of $489 million. How do they want to thank us? More concessions and more plant closings.”
Goodyear also wants to dump its billion-dollar retiree health insurance obligations on the union for roughly 50 cents on the dollar. “Here’s a company that claims to be a loyal American company but it wants to turn its back on its retirees,” Gerard said. “That’s immoral. Our members are saying “enough is enough.
“We can’t continue to sacrifice the living standards of American workers and retirees so company’s like Goodyear can make a killing for the financiers on Wall Street,” he said. “That’s why we’re mounting a nationwide campaign to condemn Goodyear’s use of replacement workers and its shameless off-shoring of American production to dirt cheap offshore labor.”

Tires Focus Of Rally

USW targets Goodyear dealers across U.S.

BY ANDREA HOLECEK
Tuesday, December 5, 2006 12:47 AM CST

HIGHLAND | United Steelworkers have expanded their battle with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. across the United States and in Canada, demonstrating Saturday at locations where the company's products are sold.

The rally -- held in Northwest Indiana at two Levin Tire Center locations that sell Goodyear tires -- was part of the USW's National Action Day "to educate the public about the ongoing labor dispute at 15 North American Goodyear plants." The union claims that dispute could cause the production of inferior tires, said Robin Rich, USW District 7 coordinator for the Goodyear campaign.

"Wall Street has invested billions of dollars to break the union since the strike began," she said.

Goodyear is the USW's largest employee with 15,000 members. Thus, the union is vowing to ramp up its public campaign for a fair union contract at Goodyear throughout the holiday season and as long as it takes to gain justice, Rich said.

The Goodyear tire plant workers have been on strike since Oct. 5 because of "unfair demands by management" that gut their healthcare, close factories and import tires from China and other low-wage countries, she said.

The company contends its current contract offer is fair because it protects current employees' wages, health care and pension benefits, protects retirees benefits, and provides job security, according to company spokesman Ed Markey.

Goodyear "will not agree to a contract that puts us at a disadvantage versus our foreign-owned competition," he said.

Since the strike began, replacement workers, whom the USW labels "inexperienced," have been on Goodyear's production lines. The union says their lack of experience could cause problems like the ones that occurred when replacement workers filled union jobs at Firestone.

The USW points to a 2002 Princeton University study that has linked labor strife, including the use of replacement workers, with the production of defective tires. The study examines the causes of the Firestone and Ford recall of 14.4 million tires in 2000 and estimates that "more than 40 lives were lost as a result of the excessive number of problem tires produced …during the labor dispute," according to the USW.

Markey said Monday that the company "will never compromise quality."

"Our long-standing systems and procedures ensure that every Goodyear tire meets our quality standards," Markey said. "In every plant, 100 percent of our tires are being screened for quality before they leave the factory."

Plus, the quality engineers, trainers and technology personnel who oversee the screening systems and procedures are all experts and full-time salaried employees who continue to perform their functions as they did before the strike, Markey said.

Dale Andres, manager of the Highland Levin Tire Center, said he couldn't make any comment on the situation.

Strikers Say Goodyear Tires Not Safe
Story by Trevor Kirkwood, Jamie Oberg (Contact)
8:11 p.m. Saturday, December 2, 2006

Goodyear strikers say your family's safety may be at risk, despite the company stating it has met perfect quality standards.

The strikers say replacement workers are more likely to make defective tires. They are basing their argument on a Princeton study examining Firestone tires made by replacement workers in 2000, which were linked to 271 fatalities and 800 injuries. Ford recalled more than 14 million tires.

Now, Goodyear workers on strike say they are worried about the tires Goodyear replacement workers are making.

"If you've got other people doing your job that you specialize in, would you be comfortable with them? I don't know,” said Goodyear striker Roy Hoag.

Goodyear says they will check the quality of their tires every six months, whether the strike is over or not.

Steelworkers' Anti-Goodyear Message Rolling In Ottawa, Regina On Saturday
OTTAWA, and REGINA, Dec. 1, 2006

The campaign asking Canadians to refuse to buy Goodyear Tire and Rubber products until the strike involving 15,000 families across North America is settled will be going to Ottawa and Regina this weekend.
In both cities, shoppers will be offered information about the strike, which started Oct. 5 over the company's demands to close factories and import tires from low-wage countries.
Besides the Goodyear brand, Canadian Tire's Motomaster tires are also made by Goodyear. In Ottawa, strikers and their supporters will be at two Canadian Tire stores, 330 Coventry and 2010 Ogilvie. In Regina, leafleting will also take place at Canadian Tire, 4520 Albert Street South, 655 Albert> Street North and 2325 Prince of Wales Drive.
Goodyear is using replacement workers to make tires that are sold in Canada and the USW is extending its campaign to boycott Goodyear until the dispute is over and the company's legitimate employees are back on the job.
The campaign makes reference to a Princeton University study, which considered whether a long, contentious strike and the hiring of replacement workers by Bridgestone/Firestone in the mid-1990s contributed to the production of an excess number of defective tires.
That study found that labour strife in Bridgestone/Firestone's Decatur IL, plant closely coincided with lower product quality. The study examines the causes of the Firestone and Ford recall of 14.4 million tires in 2000. These tires were linked by the US National Highway Safety Transportation Administration to complaints involving 271 fatalities and more than 800 injuries.
The USW will intensify the public campaign for a fair union contract at Goodyear throughout the holiday season and as long as it takes to gain justice.
For more information on the Goodyear fight, go to www.usw.ca/goodyear
For further information: Marie Kelly (Lead Goodyear negotiator for the USW in Canada), (416) 705-3627