Fisher
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Tire Review - Union Contract Deadline Looms, What Will the Two Sides Do?
With contracts for two tiremakers and another tire plant set to expire before noon on Saturday, July 27, the limited amount of information available indicates the USW and Goodyear, Bridgestone Americas and Michelin North America remain far from signing a new multi-year pact.
At the same time, the silence of the tiremakers and standard rhetoric by the union
.........
On July 23, the USW negotiators were a bit sterner: “Little progress has been made on matters concerning” a number of issues, including wages, healthcare, pensions and vacations.
“Our members should start to prepare for the financial struggles that may lie ahead,” the negotiating team warned. “Should you feel the need to apply for a 401k loan, you must do so before the contract deadline expires.”
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From what I have read in other articles is Goodyear wants to eliminate their traditional pension plan and double health insurance cost for the employees among other concessions. Since I have heard that Goodyear has a plant in China ready to up production and it keeps a huge surplus of tires in preparation for strikes, this could get interesting. I'd still go ahead and get tires now if I thought I was going to need them soon, beyond that I think unions are going to be fighting a retreating benefits battle across most companies between Obamacare and the free trade policies that are exporting manufacturing jobs overseas.
With contracts for two tiremakers and another tire plant set to expire before noon on Saturday, July 27, the limited amount of information available indicates the USW and Goodyear, Bridgestone Americas and Michelin North America remain far from signing a new multi-year pact.
At the same time, the silence of the tiremakers and standard rhetoric by the union
.........
On July 23, the USW negotiators were a bit sterner: “Little progress has been made on matters concerning” a number of issues, including wages, healthcare, pensions and vacations.
“Our members should start to prepare for the financial struggles that may lie ahead,” the negotiating team warned. “Should you feel the need to apply for a 401k loan, you must do so before the contract deadline expires.”
_______________________________________________________________
From what I have read in other articles is Goodyear wants to eliminate their traditional pension plan and double health insurance cost for the employees among other concessions. Since I have heard that Goodyear has a plant in China ready to up production and it keeps a huge surplus of tires in preparation for strikes, this could get interesting. I'd still go ahead and get tires now if I thought I was going to need them soon, beyond that I think unions are going to be fighting a retreating benefits battle across most companies between Obamacare and the free trade policies that are exporting manufacturing jobs overseas.