News from the United Steelworkers of America: Steelworkers Begin New Contract Negotiations With Bridgestone/Firestone

    PITTSBURGH--March 13, 2003--

Union to Push for Job Security in Light of Company's Renewed Profitability
    The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) announced that new master contract talks with Bridgestone/Firestone (BFS) will begin tomorrow. The bargaining will cover contracts for 6,000 workers in eight facilities throughout the U.S. The current agreements expire on April 23, 2003.
    "Our biggest concerns are job security for our members and ensuring that the company makes investments that keep production in our communities," stated USWA executive vice president John Sellers.
    Bridgestone/Firestone recently announced better-than-anticipated profits for the last fiscal year, another sign of the company's rapid rebound from the recall in 2000. Union bargaining team members believe that this round of negotiation will allow the company to acknowledge and reward the workers' contributions to this turnaround
    USWA bargaining units represented in the BFS negotiations include:

    Local 7 (Akron, Ohio)

    Local 138 (Noblesville, Indiana)

    Local 310 (Des Moines, Iowa)

    Local 787 (Bloomington, Illinois)

    Local 884 (Russellville, Arkansas)

    Local 998 (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

    Local 1055 (LaVergne, Tennessee), and

    Local 1155 (Warren County, Tennessee).

    The USWA initiated new master contract negotiations yesterday with Goodyear in Cincinnati and will open talks with Uniroyal/Goodrich, Michelin on March 18 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
    Typically, preliminary negotiations go on for about two weeks before the USWA bargaining teams meet collectively to designate a "target company." The Steelworkers then bargain an agreement with the target that serves as a pattern agreement or template for the other negotiations.
    Pattern bargaining agreements maintain generally uniform collective agreements with groups of employers within an industry and compel employers to compete on the basis of product and service quality, innovation, up-to-date technology and management.
    The USWA represent 1.2 million active and retired members in North America, including nearly 90,000 active workers in the rubber and plastics industry. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the USWA has 12 districts spanning the continent and more than 2,000 locals.