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Steelworkers Disrupt Tire Conference

5 March 1999

Steelworkers Disrupt Tire Conference; Condemn Illegal Strike Breaking At Continental General Plant in Charlotte

    HILTON HEAD, S.C., March 4 -- As a Continental General Tire
Co. executive addressed an industry conference at a resort hotel here, 125 of
the company's striking employees from Charlotte, N.C., burst into the room and
confronted the startled crowd with accusations of lawless strike breaking,
according to a union spokesman at the scene.
    The workers were led by Earl Propst, president of Local 850 in Charlotte
whose 1450 members have been on strike at German-owned Continental General
Tire since last September.  They made the four-hour journey in two buses and
several cars.
    Propst challenged corporate executive Chris Dickenson for Continental
General's refusal to meet with union representatives, hiring 700 replacement
workers, bad faith bargaining, and other unfair labor practices under the
National Labor Relations Act.
    "Why are you savaging Continental General's American workers in a way that
violates the law in the company's own homeland?" Propst asked.  Hiring
replacement workers is illegal in Germany, where General Tire's parent
company, Continental AG, is headquartered.
    The Steelworkers chided Continental General's German CEO, Bernd
Frangenberg, for "hiding" from the Charlotte workers.  Frangenberg was
scheduled to address the conference, but failed to show up.
    The striking workers passed out leaflets detailing the company's
violations of law to participants at the conference.  They concluded their
protest by assembling in the hotel lobby and sang several verses of the labor
anthem, Solidarity Forever, the spokesman said.
    The Buford Co. Sheriff's Dept. detained the demonstrating union workers
for nearly an hour after the confrontation, but union members were undeterred.
    Propst said, "We are going to continue to confront Continental General
Tire management, including CEO Bernd Frangenberg, at every opportunity until
union members are back at work in Charlotte."