SALEM, Va. (Jan. 31, 2005) — Members of United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 1023 working at Yokohama Tire Corp.'s Salem tire plant approved a new contract Jan. 29.
The pact was approved by better than a two-to-one margin, with about an 80-percent voter turnout, a USWA spokesman said. The contract runs through April 15, 2007, and the terms are retroactive to June 4, 2003, he said.
“We at Yokohama Tire Corporation are pleased with the resolution and that we could resolve our agreement in an amicable manner,” said Steve Kessing, vice president of administration for Yokohama.
The previous agreement between Yokohama and Local 1023 expired in June 2003. Talks between the two sides were put on hold while bargaining took place between the union and the other major tire makers.
Yokohama and the Steelworkers reached a tentative contract agreement Jan. 15.