Tire Workers Strike Goodyear At Stores

Unions Picket Goodyear Retailers Across The Country

(AP)  Union members battling Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. took their picket lines to tire retailers across the country on Saturday as part of an effort to gain leverage in talks with the company.

About 50 members of a Lincoln chapter of United Steelworkers protested at two Goodyear retailers here, decrying the company's use of replacement workers during the 2-month-old strike. About 150 additional rallies were planned in the U.S. and Canada.

"We know what it takes to build tires,x and unskilled workers just can't do it. We do not want the general public riding their lives on temporary workers," said Gary Schaefer, 54, vice president of the United Steelworkers Local 286 in Lincoln and a 34-year employee of Goodyear.

Members stood along a busy street, carrying signs with pictures of flat tires that read, "Recklessly driving experienced workers off the job."

Leo Gerard, USW international president, visited with strikers Saturday in the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio, and planned a stop in Akron, where Goodyear is based.

Gerard said the point of the protests is to tell consumers about what the union believes is unfair treatment by Goodyear, including plans to slash health care and retirement benefits.

"They're literally stealing the money out of our retirees' pockets," Gerard said.

Goodyear spokesman Ed Markey said the protests do not affect plans to return to the bargaining table. Negotiations are scheduled to resume Monday in Pittsburgh, the first talks since meetings broke off Nov. 17.

"Our goals in the negotiations remains the same, and that is to reach a fair agreement that enables us to be competitive and win with our customers," he said.

The company's temporary workers are qualified and received the same training as all new employees, Markey said.

"Goodyear will never compromise quality," he said. "We have had quality systems in place and dedicated experts to run those systems since before the strike began. Additionally, every tire we make is screened for quality before it leaves the factory."

About 15,000 workers are on strike at 12 U.S. and four Canadian plants, counting union members on layoff, sick leave or other time off. Goodyear workers went on strike Oct. 5 after talks broke down on a new contract.

Among those on strike are workers at the Goodyear plant in Union City, Tenn.

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 and relying on production at its international plants to help supply North American customers.

In Lincoln, Ted Kastl, 56, who has worked for Goodyear 35 years, was hopeful that the storefront protests would force the company's hand.

"I think this could lead to us getting what we want. It will put more pressure on Goodyear to get things resolved," Kastl said.

Striking workers have found it difficult to make ends meet, but $50-a-week payments from the union for groceries and gas have helped, said 20-year employee Kurt Bomberger, 43.

The union's strike fund could drop below $100 million if the dispute drags into March, Gerard said, at which time all members would be asked to contribute $5 to fill the coffers and support striking workers.

In suburban Pittsburgh, more than 80 people handed out fliers and urged holiday shoppers driving past a Goodyear service center at a mall to honk in support of Goodyear employees. Most drivers obliged.

"I'd say (we're getting) a lot of support, and that's what we're doing: educating the public on what the dispute is about," said John Sellers, a retired Steelworkers official.

The Steelworkers there were joined by members of the AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the union's decision to join forces with the USW for Saturday's protests was a statement by working people to Goodyear and other companies.

"We're going to hold the line for the nation's middle class. Working people everywhere have been pushed to the brink by giant multinational conglomerates like Goodyear," Sweeney said. "We're going to push back."

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. The company has said its offer protects wages, proposes upgrades to union plants and offers a plan to provide health care coverage for retirees.

Funny how just a few of the top union leaders that want to get rid of a few mexicans can really screw up a persons paycheck

[smoothdrrod]

I think the union is doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Why should the level of the common working man's position be threatened because the company wants to secure a stronger place in the global market where I am sure Africans are working for a glorified version of the ol' Company store. The American promise to me includes security through your non working years. It will be hard with so many retirees for the next couple of decades, perhaps longer, however I feel that what has been built since WWII in terms of infrastructure here is nothing short of amazing. We owe it to them for making everything thus far, possible. It is a shame we still don't have the facilities to manufacture and energy as it stands to support ourselves on our own.

There is an unfair burden that is being put on the lowest common denominator (yes I care on a global scale) of the working population. In matters of law, to prove my point by asking you to consider that ignorance is no excuse and attempt to learn all of your states laws. I could remember the Code of Hammurabi and have, but times have changed and more are needed. I don%u2019t think we as Americans should sacrafice on safety and compensation to compete with production to the tune of $4.00 per man hour. There is no future for the common man this way. But we see a deal on shirts 5 for one dollar, and pick up two bundles.

[dmorg4]

im sure there already overpaid they should fire them all and replace them thats what id do if i were manager im sure the guy sweeping the floor makes 15 dollars an hour

[garyro1]

I attended the demonstration in St. Louis and so anything I might say would be biased in favor of the strikers. Those strikers are in real trouble for the company is threatning to outsource all tires to places like China (like so many others). Reports of company using "convicts" for scab labor were made. More

Reading some of the comments, do folks really feel they are getting a deal by "outsourcing" American jobs? Do folks really not understand that the pending "trillion" dollar trade imbalance is not really good for the nation this next year? Does anyone really believe workers are going to roll over on health care benefits and cancellation of retiree health benefits (major concern of strikers)?

If one believes in any of the above, they had to vote for the losers in November's election.

[nothappyatall]

Like Autoworkers making $65 an hour they say, tireworkers probably make plenty- buck up man EVERYONE else is tightening their belts, every company is hurting and everyone's bonus and raises are not there- blame cheap imports and blame corporate conglomerates for shipping JOBS to china or mexico and closing plants here.

Keep demanding more and more and that's what they do- close your plant here, open one in China and pay the workers there $2 a day.
Maybe the NEW law should be- if you are an AMERICAN company based here, your production and offices STAY HERE or you pay a hefty import tax.

[nothappyatall]

I sure wouldn't buy a tire made by some dope temp worker who never even changed a tire let alone made one before!

[bluestardad]

Unions get out of America you are killing the manufacturing jobs and ruining American families.

[perception5]

America doesn't need these mob-run-unions anymore. In economic terms unions are a "dead weight loss" they add no value to a company. They need to stop leaching on to American companies. We have laws in place that protect American workers.........

[olebd]

Unions have been driving many good American companies into the ground for the past few decades with their demands for more pay and better benefits, always out of proportion with reality.

It's a shame they weren't reeled in years ago before many of these companies left for China, India and other places with plenty of workers willing to work instead of whine.

[mscinga1215]

Working in a town occupied by a Goodyear plant, my heart goes out to the workers and their families. They are not striking for more money, all they are trying to do is save the benefits for the retirees. These retirees can not go and find another job, most of them gave up 30 or more years working for a company that said they would not have to worry about benefits in their golden years because they would be taken care of. Now Goodyear is wanting to change all that and at the expense of the retired community. If these workers who are on strike do not stand up for them who will? If we live to be retirement age, wouldn't we want someone to take up for us? Our government is sure not going to. I believe the reason for why they are striking is being lost and some people look at it as if they just want more money when that is so far from the truth.

[ryindy]

It's to bad there are so many Anti-Union comments.
Too many people today have never seen let alone experienced the time when many employers ran sweat shops, paid people at below prevailing wages, ran factories that were unsafe for any worker. When people were threatned with the loss of their job if they didn't work certain hours without pay.

It took Unions to create an environment where people were paid a fair wage and provided with safe work conditions.

Unfortunately, corporations are now systematically shipping jobs overseas in an effort to rid themselves of the most productive workforce in the world in order to regain an indentured servitude workforce.

[valendug]

All right! Let's get rid of those crappy unions and bring the wages back down to 3 dollars an hour! You scabs wouldn't have a job at that wage. Mexicans, legal or illegal will work for less than that.