News From USWA: Steelworkers Demand Investigation into Goodyear Decision on Production of Assurance Tires.Business Editors PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2004 The United Steelworkers United Steelworkers (USW) historic labour union representing workers in steel, aluminum, and other metallurgical industries for much of the 20th century. In the U.S. of America (USWA USWA United Steelworkers of America USWA United States Wrestling Association USWA United States Windsurfing Association USWA United States Wristwrestling Association ) today demanded an investigation into the possible violation of its contract, which calls for new products developed for sale in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. to be manufactured in Steelworker-represented plants. Earlier this month, Goodyear announced that the new Assurance tire line would be produced at its non-union facility in Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the principal city of the Lawton, Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Comanche CountyGR6. . "The company's announcement significantly undercuts the goodwill and cooperation that is the basis of the contract ratified by our members last September," said USWA International vice president Andrew V. Palm. "We are deeply concerned that this announcement came without any discussion or notice, particularly given our patience and understanding regarding the company's slow progress on their promised financial restructuring." "While we remain committed to working with the Company, we will not allow it to become a one-way street. This Company has some serious explaining to do to its employees and their Union." The Protected Plant provisions of the contract guarantees "meaningful and significant first consideration and preference" to twelve USWA facilities for producing new products developed for sale in North America. These provisions were critical features of the recently negotiated agreement which provided USWA members with a network of job security measures in exchange for providing the company with the short-term flexibility it needed to get its operations back on track. The contract also requires Goodyear to reduce its debt obligations and refinance its debt by December 31, 2003, with the Union holding the right to strike if the refinancing is not completed. "Today, we are demanding an immediate and thorough investigation of the company's failure to commit to producing this tire line in one of our facilities," said Ron Hoover, USWA Contract Coordinator. "And we will continue to closely monitor all developments relating to the investigations of the Company's accounting irregularities. The USWA represents 19,000 workers at 13 facilities throughout the U.S. They are located in Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ; Danville, Virginia; Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 121,015. It is the county seat of Cumberland County GR6, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. ; Freeport, Illinois; Gadsden, Alabama; Lincoln Nebraska; Marysville, Ohio; St. Marys, Ohio St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, in the United States with a population of 8,342[1] as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ; Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Sun Prairie is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin and is a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,369 and is expected to double in size by 2020 to around 40,000. ; Topeka, Kansas; Tyler Texas and Union City, Tennessee Union City is a city in Obion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Obion CountyGR6. . All the facilities except the Tyler plant were designated as protected plants in the contract. The Tyler facility was granted partial protected status, with the opportunity to obtain full-protected status upon attaining certain goals. As part of the agreement, the Huntsville, Alabama facility was not granted protected status and was closed in December 2003. Protected Plant status guarantees among other things, no closures during the three-year contract; minimum staffing levels; import restrictions; capital investments commitments as well as "meaningful and significant first consideration and preference" for new products developed for sale in the North America market. The USWA represents 1.2 million active and retired members in the U.S. and Canada. |
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