News From USWA: Sale of Goodyear Plant Contingent upon Titan Reaching New Labor Agreement with Steelworkers; Titan's Long Record of Adversarial Labor Relations Makes Union Highly Skeptical

PITTSBURGH--Feb. 2, 20058, 2005--News From USWA: Goodyear's plan to sell its Freeport, Illinois tire plant to Titan Tire will require Titan to negotiate a new union contract with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) prior to the closing of the sale.

"Goodyear and Titan Tire understand that our current contract with Goodyear contains a successorship clause that mandates that the prospective buyer (Titan) negotiate a new contract acceptable to our Union prior to the completion of any sale," said USWA Executive Vice President John Sellers.

The union is far from optimistic that the necessary agreement will be reached to allow the sale to be finalized. "Based on our preliminary discussions and on Titan's long history of adversarial labor relations and hostility to the USWA, it doesn't appear that Titan is interested in meaningful negotiations with a goal of reaching a contract offer acceptable to our members in Freeport," said Steve Vanderheyden, president of USWA Local 745 in Freeport.

"We hope that this proposed sale will provide Titan the opportunity to create a new relationship with the Steelworkers, but at this point it does not look likely," said Mike Mathis, president of USWA Local 164, where its members are employed at Titan's Des Moines tire facility. It was here where the Steelworkers began a 40-month strike against Titan in April 1998.