I've seen almost no mention of this story in the blogs or even most of the national news. While last weeks horrific NLRB story was caught by many, this important union action has been completely missed. Members of the United Steelworkers of America, across 16 Goodyear plants in the country, are on strike. Goodyear refuses to come to terms with the union on the issue of keeping plants open in America. These employees are subject to temporary and even permanent replacements over the course of the strike, and they are merely standing up for a guarantee that Goodyear will keep all American plants in America. Follow me over the fold for more.
http://www.businessweek.com/...
Workers at 16 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants in 10 states and Canada went on strike Thursday after the world's third largest tire maker and the steelworkers union failed to agree on a new labor contract.
The union said the company's latest proposal would have included two plant closings.
"The company left us with no option," said Ron Hoover, executive vice president of the United Steelworkers of America, which represents the Goodyear workers. "We cannot allow additional plant closures after the sacrifices we made three years ago to help this company survive."
The old contract expired July 22 and both sides agreed to an indefinite day-to-day extension. The union issued a 72-hour notice on Monday and said they would terminate the contract at midday Thursday if an agreement wasn't reached.
The company said it was prepared to keep its plants open and take care of its customers but did not immediately say how it planned to do that.
Goodyear is the third largest producer of tires in the world. The company posts profits in the upward area of 19 billion per year. Yet the economic incentives of free trade are slowly forcing manufacturing plants like this one out of this country. Union members have refused to sell out any worker within the union, and that means even one plant closing is inexcusable. As this strike is based on economics and NOT based on an unfair labor claim, the jobs of the union members are NOT guaranteed and are subject for replacement.
http://www.workrights.org/...
Permanent strike breakers are a huge threat to every employee. For all practical purposes, legal rights do not protect the employment of a striker. If a strike is for unfair labor practice reasons (employer conduct forbidden by the Act), strikers are granted their job back; if a strike is for economic reasons, an employer is only responsible for rehiring strikers if jobs are available. In [NLRB vs.]MacKay Radio, discrimination in rehiring strikers was the issue before the court. Further, it set the precedent on employees striking over economic issues, and permanent replacements were accepted as a lawful means for employers to operate their business.
This is a huge issue for those of us who stand with our brothers and sisters in labor. Unions must take strong action to protect crucial jobs. We cannot stand for the continued movement of jobs overseas without fair replacement of workers positions. The best thing we can do is be aware of the situation and support these workers throughout their strike. While the press has not picked up on the story, the media is generally negative towards economic strikes, so we need to keep the pressure on Goodyear and force the company to keep these production sites in America. The union is ready to strike for the long haul; are we ready to support them?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/...
As of Saturday, days after United Steelworkers union members walked off the job, no new talks had been scheduled between the company and the union. "We're in the beginning stages. We're in this for the long haul," said Eric Pirogowicz, 50, a 33-year Goodyear employee who most recently made race car tires in Akron and was among more than 12,000 union members from 16 plants in the United States and Canada who went on strike Thursday.
In 2003, Goodyear flirted with bankruptcy, losing more than $1 billion, taking on billions in debt and seeing its shares dive from $20 in 2002 to below $4 on the New York Stock Exchange. It returned to profitability for the first time since 2000 this year and its stock has rebounded. Shares closed at $14.46 Friday...Rick Niekamp, vice president of USW Local 200 in St. Marys, Ohio, said workers feel betrayed after the 2003 concessions. "We got to a decent spot where they could make profits -- turned them around," he said. "They came back this time and tried to rake us over the coals like this. We can't take it."