AKRON — United Steelworkers (USW) union employees at five Goodyear plants ratified a new five-year contract with the tire maker by a 3-to-1 margin Aug. 24.
The new agreement covers roughly 7,200 workers at plants in Akron (USW Local 2L); Danville, Va. (Local 12L); Fayetteville, N.C. (Local 307L); Gadsden, Ala. (Local 831L); and Topeka, Kan. (Local 959L), according to a USW statement.
In addition to the negotiating for "significant wage increases" and closing gaps between labor grade tiers, the new agreement maintains cost-of-living adjustments and extends plant protection to ensure that none of the five plants closes during the contract's duration, USW said.
The agreement expires July 29, 2022.
"We were able to negotiate the best contract in recent memory because our membership was united, and from the outset, our priorities were clear," said Tim Conway, USW International's vice president and chair of the Goodyear talks.