Founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Akron, Ohio. It is one of the oldest, biggest and best-known tyremakers in the world. Goodyear makes tyres for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, racing cars, aeroplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery. Find all the news and analysis you need relating to Goodyear here.
Members of the United Steelworkers Union have scheduled a National Day of Action on December 16 with the aim of bringing the core issues behind its ongoing Goodyear strike into greater public awareness. While the planned action appears to be restricted to an orderly leaflet distribution campaign at 127 American stores that sell Goodyear tyres, the union hopes to prick the nation’s conscience with details of employee grievances.
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has asked the heads of Goodyear and the United Steelworkers union to come to a partial agreement to allow 200 workers at the tyremaker’s Topeka, Kansas plant to return to work. The request comes as the US Military has raised concerns about a potential shortage of tyres used on military vehicles, Deutsche Bank analysts report. Because of the 9-week-old strike, production of Goodyear tyres for Humvees has fallen to 10,500 per month from a US Army requirement of 20,000. The US military is reportedly considering invoking a law that forbids workers from abandoning jobs that are vital to US national security.
(Akron/Tire Review) According to Associated Press reports, Goodyear officials said that “hundreds” of striking United Steelworkers employees have returned to their jobs at Goodyear plants. USW locals, however, dispute that assessment. A Goodyear spokesman told the AP that production levels at struck plants are increasing as strikers return to work and the company hires additional temporary workers. Some 16,500 workers at 16 of Goodyear’s North American plants have been on strike since 5 October. No master contract negotiations have been held since talks broke off in mid-November.
The United Steelworkers union have called for international support and solidarity from their overseas counterparts during their ongoing dispute with tyremaker Goodyear. The USW has recently forged strategic alliances with unions in Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Australia in order to support each other during disputes with common employers and to increase their bargaining power through coordination.
(Akron/Tire Review) The United Steelworkers claims that Goodyear has placed ads in “several North Carolina newspapers” apparently looking to attract experienced tyre plant workers to work as replacements at its plants. Goodyear’s 12 unionized North American tyre plants are being picketed by the USW.
Volvo group commercial vehicles in Europe will be riding on Goodyear Dunlop tyres after the two companies recently signed a deal for the supply of OE tyres. The three-year agreement covers all European-manufactured Volvo trucks and buses and Renault trucks with rims 16” and larger. The tyres will be supplied from Goodyear Dunlop factories in Germany, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Turkey.
Goodyear Dunlop’s UK Director of Consumer, Paul Wilde, has completed one of the world’s most famous races, with the proceeds raised as a result of his effort going to a good cause.
The twelve thousand Goodyear workers now entering their third month of strike action are receiving an early Christmas bonus from their union. The Pittsburgh based United Steelworkers union announced on Tuesday that it will give a $100 Christmas bonus to the striking Goodyear workers and to the approximately nine hundred other workers striking or locked out from other companies.
Bridgestone shares rose three and a half per cent to 2,550 yen, the greatest gain in two months, after the tyremaker agreed to purchase retreaders Bandag Inc.
Striking USW workers have stepped up their conflict with Goodyear in North America by staging demonstrations outside the premises of retailers selling the company’s products.
Some financial analysts report they have become increasingly optimistic regarding Cooper Tire’s intermediate term performance. The Deutsche Bank report suggested the that poor US demand would soon get better with Cooper benefiting. The analysts also commented that Goodyear’s strategy is likely to have a positive effect on Cooper in the tight supply market. They were also “increasingly convinced” about Cooper’s ability to significantly reduce costs and improve profitability.
Spanish driver Antonio Albacete has taken out the FIA European Truck Racing Championship for 2006 in his Goodyear fitted Cepasa team MAN. Albacete finished second place at Le Mans, the final race of the season, securing himself a championship winning 346 points from the season’s eight qualifying races.
Striking Goodyear employees have warned the public to think carefully when choosing new tyres for their vehicle in the next few months. Their concerns are based upon potential safety issues posed by Goodyear tyres manufactured by replacement non-union labour.
“These tyres aren’t being built by professionals that know what they’re doing,” stated striking worker Tom Angell. “They’re just people they’ve pulled out of temporary agencies. People that have basically never built tyres before in their life.”
A new tyre sensor that can warn drivers of dangerous road conditions or urgently needed tyre maintenance has been developed in Germany. The Tyresense sensor, developed by the Centre of Advanced European Studies and Research, can detect and monitor tyre performance in real time, providing information on the levels of grip and friction between road and tyre. Drivers can thus be warned to modify their driving behaviour in dangerous conditions or when tyre pressure needs adjusting.
Maximising fuel economy is one of the highest priorities for drivers in the ultra-competitive super-mini racing category. With this in mind, Peugeot has given the go ahead for fitting the environmentally friendly Goodyear GT3 tyre as original equipment on their new 207.
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