UAW Committee Reviewing Goodyear's Latest Offer

CINCINNATI August 18, 2003;(AP) -- The United Steelworkers union said Monday it was examining the latest offer from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. after a weekend of all-night contract bargaining sessions.

"There's a proposal now that the committee is reviewing. It's just part of the ongoing bargaining," said union spokesman Wayne Ranick. He said it could take a few days to review the offer, which was made Sunday in Cincinnati.

Ranick and Goodyear spokesman Chuck Sinclair declined to comment on specifics of the proposal.

Negotiations began March 13 on a new agreement to replace the six-year contract that expired in April. The contract has been extended since then by mutual agreement, but can be terminated on 72-hour notice by either side.

Goodyear and the union have struggled to agree on job security and health benefits for workers and retirees.

The talks cover about 19,000 workers at 14 plants in Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Alabama, Nebraska, Wisconsin, New York, Kansas, Texas and Tennessee. Also included are 22,000 retired workers, Ranick said.

The union has said it is prepared to strike. Some analysts say a strike would cost Goodyear $3 million to $4 million a day.