TEXARKANA, Ark. — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and members of the United Steelworkers Local 752 in Texarkana have reached a tentative agreement on a four-year labor contract.
Details of the agreement are being withheld pending presentation to USW members, Cooper said, noting that a ratification vote is expected within days. If ratified, the deal would cover about 1,440 unionized employees, a Cooper spokeswoman said. In all, the tire maker employs 1,700 at the Texarkana plant.
The previous deal was set to expire in 2019 after being extended for three years in 2016 as a result of the failed merger between Cooper and Apollo Tyres Ltd.
In addition to the Arkansas plant, the USW represents manufacturing plants in Clarksdale, Miss., (Local 556) and Findlay, Ohio, (Local 207). These facilities are not included in Cooper's proposed deal with Local 752.
Like the original deal with Texarkana, the USW contracts at Clarksdale and Findlay were extended as a result of the failed Cooper and Apollo merger. At the time of the extension, Clarksdale's extended pact was set to run through Feb. 15 while the Findlay extension runs through Feb. 28, 2020.