USW, Bridgestone-Firestone Reach Tentative Agreement

PITTSBURGH, July 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract with Bridgestone-Firestone covering 4,500 workers at six facilities.

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The union and the tire company had been working since June on a new collective bargaining agreement. The previous contract expired on Saturday.

"This agreement is a step forward for USW members," said USW Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson, who led the negotiations for the union, along with Randy Boulton, Bridgestone-Firestone coordinator. "The committee worked hard to make progress both on economic and non-economic issues and to improve the situation for new hires."

The agreement covers workers at plants in Akron, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Russellville, Ark.; LaVergne, Tenn.; Warren County, Tenn., and Bloomington, Ill.

Specific details of the contract will be withheld until members are able to review and vote on it. Ratification votes are expected to take place over the next two weeks.

The union also reached tentative agreements covering 8,500 USW members at Goodyear and 2,500 members at BF Goodrich.

The USW represents 850,000 members in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It is the largest private-sector union in North America, representing workers in a range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, health care, security, hotels, and municipal governments and agencies.

CONTACT: Randy Boulton,
(515) 953-0783, rboulton@usw.org

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)