(Akron/Tire Review) About 1,700 union workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.’s Texarkana, Ark. plant are returning to work, ending a month-long strike.
Last week, it was reported that a tentative agreement between the United Steelworkers of America Local 752L and Cooper had been reached.
Yesterday, 708 employees approved the contract proposal, while 632 members voted against it.
Details of the agreement were not obtainable at the time of print.
Drivers from 15 different countries, including Great Britain, Venezuela and Canada, will be among the contenders of the opening two rounds of the 2005 Cooper Tyres Championship for Formula Ford 2000 cars, that kicks off as part of the Grand Prix of Atlanta ALMS event at Road Atlanta next weekend.
Drivers Jay Howard and Joey Foster will be representing Britain. Howard contested two races in the Cooper tyres championship last season, winning once at Infineon Raceway. Foster won the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch in 2003, and will drive for Cape Motorsports, which has won the title in three of the last five years.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co has warned that a production halt at its Texarkana, Arkansas, facility on 12 March will affect first-quarter earnings by 5 cents to 7 cents a share, Market watch has reported.
(Akron/Tire Review) Reports out of Texarkana, Arkansas, indicate that a tentative agreement has been reached between Cooper Tire & Rubber Co and striking United Steelworkers of America (USWA) employees. No details of the agreement, believed to be a three-year deal, are available.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co’s planned expansion of its Athens, Georgia, tyre plant got a big boost from local government which authorised some $12 million in bonds to aid the expansion effort.
(Akron/Tire Review) According to reports, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. sent a summary of its latest master contract proposal directly to striking Texarkana, Ark., plant workers last week, urging them to seek union permission to vote on the proposal.
The Texarkana Gazette reported that in the proposal and a letter from Cooper negotiating team to members of United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 752, Cooper officials said “it is important for you to see the entire final proposal that is on the table so you can make your own decisions as to whether this is a fair contract.”
The Retread Manufacturers Association is to introduce a series of specialist training courses as part of a development programme aimed at increasing the range of value-added benefits to members.
As a first step, the Association is re-introducing its City and Guilds Part 1 – Workshop Practice courses for the 2005/2006 study year. These correspondence courses, aimed at operatives in retreading plants, are being administered in conjunction with Newlaw Associates and cover a full range of processes in retread plants including inspection, drying, buffing, repairing, cementing, hot cure tread preparation, sidewall veneer application, hot cure building and precured retreading as well as other relevant topics such as matrices, basic materials, legislation and health and safety issues.
(Akron/Tire Review) According to a United Steelworkers of America (USWA) website, the union and Cooper Tire & Rubber have “agreed to postpone” an injunction hearing that was scheduled to be held yesterday. No further details were given.
(Texarkana/Tire Review) Roughly 1,000 people turned out for a union-organised rally supporting the 1,600 workers that went on strike nearly a week ago at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.’s Texarkana, Arkansas plant. David Boone, union president, said the union’s executive committee received a 95 per cent backing in a vote granting the authority to call a strike.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper Tire & Rubber Co has introduced the Cooper Discoverer ATR, a new line of light truck/SUV radials that the company says “offers uncompromising on and off-road performance, going beyond ordinary all-terrain tyres.”
(Texarkana/Tire Review) Talks between Cooper Tire & Rubber Co and members of USWA Local 752 at Cooper’s Texarkana, Arkansas, tyre plant reportedly broke off 14 March, leaving the passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant operating on a skeleton crew as union workers picket outside.
(Akron/Tire Review) Workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Texarkana, Arkansas, tyre plant remained on strike today, as talks between the tyre maker and United Steelworkers of America (USWA) negotiators are said to be continuing. USWA represented employees walked off the job 12 March when their contract with Cooper, which had been extended from an earlier 6 March deadline, finally expired.
(Akron/TR) Union workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co’s Texarkana, Arkansas, plant walked off the job on Saturday night after failing to gain a new contract covering the passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant. Texarkana workers, represented by the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 752, went out on strike at midnight when their previous contract expired. The USWA had apparently received a proposed contract offer from Cooper, but did not put the offer to a vote before walking out. Cooper officials said they are hopeful that “talks will continue toward resuming production as quickly as possible.”
As part of a long-standing relationship with the maker of some of Britain’s best loved sports cars, Avon Tyre Racing has developed special ultra-high performance road and race tyres for the 155 mph Caterham Seven CSR.
(Akron/TR) Cooper Avon has named Steven T Kersh as director of European sales and marketing. In his new role, he will oversee sales and marketing efforts for European operations headquartered in Melksham, England. The appointment will become effective on 1 April, 2005. Mr Kersh began his Cooper career in 1993 as a management trainee. In 1995 he was promoted to export sales customer service coordinator, and since has served as an export sales trainee, export sales territory manager, regional manager of export sales and most recently as manager of export sales.
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