---

USWA, Bridgestone/Firestone, Agree To Extend Contract

19 April 2000

USWA, Bridgestone/Firestone, Agree To Extend Contract

    ST. LOUIS, April 18 Today, the United Steelworkers of
America (USWA) and Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (BFS) agreed to extend the
Master agreement on a day-to-day basis.  The contract was due to expire on
April 23, 2000.
    Negotiations for a new agreement are continuing.  Either party may
terminate the extension by giving a fourteen (14) day notice to the other
party.
    USWA and BFS began bargaining last month for a new contract that would
cover more than 8,000 workers in nine facilities throughout the U.S.
    USWA bargaining units represented in the negotiations include:

    Local 7 (Akron, OH);
    Local 787 (Bloomington, IL);
    Local 713 (Decatur, IL);
    Local 310 (Des Moines, IA);
    Local 1055 (LaVergne, TN);
    Local 138 (Noblesville, IN);
    Local 998 (Oklahoma City, OK);
    Local 884 (Russellville, AR); and,
    Local 1155 (Warren County, TN).

    On the heels of recent contract settlements in the tire industry, USWA is
seeking a pattern agreement that improves wages, pensions and working
conditions for its members working at BFS facilities.
    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.

    CONTACT:  Wayne Ranick of the United Steelworkers of America,
412-562-2442.