With the third deadline set to expire, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the United Steelworkers (USW) union reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract.
If ratified, the new master contract will cover about 10,300 employees at seven tire plants in the United States. They represent nearly 15% of the company's global work force.
The union is expected to schedule ratification votes at all plants in the coming days, according to Goodyear.
"We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that accomplishes Goodyear's bargaining goals and helps secure the future for its U.S. factories," says Jim Allen, Goodyear's chief negotiator.
The previous three-year labor agreement had been extended twice, and the most recent extension was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. EST on Aug. 29, 2009. The parties had been negotiating in Cincinnati, Ohio, since June 8, 2009.
The plants covered by the tentative agreement are: Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Topeka, Kan.; and Union City, Tenn.
With the deals with Michelin North America Inc. (see "USW membership ratifies Michelin contract") and Goodyear nearly complete, the union can focus on forging an agreement with Bridgestone Americas Inc.
