PITTSBURGH—Members of United Steelworkers (USW) locals at six Bridgestone Americas factories approved contracts with their employer, but workers at two Michelin North America/BFGoodrich Tire plants rejected a proposed new deal.
USW members at Bridgestone Americas plants in Akron; Des Moines, Iowa; Russellville, Ark.; LaVergne, Tenn.; Warren County, Tenn.; and Bloomington, Ill., ratified by a 2-to-1 margin four-year contracts covering 4,500 workers at those factories.
Meanwhile, workers at BFG plants in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Fort Wayne, Ind., rejected a proposed three-year contract. The USW and the BFGoodrich tire unit were scheduled to resume negotiations.
The Bridgestone contract provides a signing bonus and general wage increases for all employees in addition to improvements to the wage tier and benefit systems for new hires. It also increased pension contributions and protected retiree healthcare benefits.
Workers at Goodyear plants in Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Topeka, Kan.; and Akron were scheduled to start voting the week of Aug. 12 on their proposed four-year deal.
This report appeared on www.-rubbernews.com of Rubber & Plastics News, an Akron-based sister publication of Tire Business.