Goodyear, USWA Reach Tentative Agreement

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 20, 2003 -- Following more than four days and nights of virtually non-stop bargaining and analysis, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and the United Steelworkers of America today reached tentative agreement on a new three-year master contract.

Jim Allen, Goodyear's director of global labor relations, said the tentative agreement must be approved by the local union membership.

"This tentative agreement reflects a tremendous amount of work by the company and union," Allen said. "It's a balanced document that supports the business turnaround needs of the company, strengthens our relationship with the USWA and addresses the key concerns of its members and retirees."

Details of the proposed agreement will not be available until the union has the opportunity to share the information with its members. Ratification votes by the more than 16,000 employees at the 14 plants that participate in master bargaining will be scheduled at the facilities in the near future.

The facilities are located in Akron, Marysville and St. Marys, Ohio; Union City, Tenn.; Topeka, Kan.; Danville, Va.; Lincoln, Neb.; Sun Prairie, Wis.; Gadsden and Huntsville, Ala.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Freeport, Ill., and Tyler, Texas.

Shortly before the original master contract was due to expire on April 19, the company and union agreed to a day-to-day extension. The parties have been negotiating since the second week of March.