Obituary: John Joseph Tinker
BEN, the Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund is mourning the loss of one of its long serving board members – John Joseph Tinker. John sadly died on Friday 23 December, having suffered poor health in recent months.
BEN, the Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund is mourning the loss of one of its long serving board members – John Joseph Tinker. John sadly died on Friday 23 December, having suffered poor health in recent months.
Alain Belda, chairman and CEO of Alcoa has announced the retirement of Richard B. Kelson, chief financial officer and EVP. Joseph C. Muscari will succeed him in the role, effective 1 January 2006.
“Rick Kelson has been an integral part of Alcoa’s success over the past three decades,” said Belda. “We are sorry to lose him, but I am pleased that he has agreed to stay on well into next year to help provide for a smooth transition.” Mr Kelson will become chairman’s counsel in January and will continue to advise the company on the transition.
(Akron/Tire Review) Continental Tire North America (CTNA) negotiators presented union representatives from CTNA’s Mayfield, Kentucky, plant with an enhanced severance package for employees that were laid off due to the suspension of tyre production in that plant late last year.
(Akron/Tire Review) Dr Georg Bohm, vice president of research for Bridgestone Americas’ Centre for Research and Technology (BACRT) has announced plans to retire as of 1 May. Dr Hiroshi Mouri, BACRT president, will assume Dr Bohm’s responsibilities at BACRT.
(Akron/Tire Review) Dan Wire, well-known CEO and chairman of Treadways Corp, has announced that he will retire in early 2006. Mr Wire, who said he will remain as an advisor/consultant to Sumitomo Corporation of America and Treadways until April 2008, will retire effective at the end of Treadways’ next financial year on 31 March 2006.
(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.”
(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.
Michelin managing partners Edouard Michelin and René Zingraff will propose that Mr Michel Rollier takes up the position of managing partner, according to a company statement. The existing managing partners will formally make the proposal when the company has its annual general meeting on 20 May.
Goodyear has fired three of its European managers, obviously holding them responsible for what the company calls accounting errors. Scialom (Vice President Finance Europe), McKnight (Managing Director Sales Countries) and his finance manager Loysen have bitten the dust. As far as it is known the three were given no reason for the notice, at this stage. Spokesmen for the group even refused to comment as to whether the three had been fired or had taken retirement. Goodyear is under formal investigation by the SEC and had to inform the public yesterday yet again, that it had found more accounting errors in the US, in the region of 16 million US dollars. Analysts are now concerned that Goodyear could be too busy dealing with these alleged improper actions instead of leading the company into a much needed turnaround.
Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. Chairman, CEO and President John Lampe has announced that he will retire on March 31, 2004. He will be replaced by Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC (BFNT) Chairman, CEO and President Mark Emkes. Emkes will retain his existing position as chair and CEO of BFNT. Lampe will remain on Bridgestone Americas Holding’s board of directors at the request of both Emkes and parent company Bridgestone Corp.
Ernest H. Zielasko has died after a short illness. He was 84. Zielasko was for many years editor and publisher of Modern Tire Dealer and in 1971 was co-founder of Rubber & Plastics News. He sold the publication in 1976 to Crain Communications to finance the best possible medical treatment for his son Jeff, who died at the age of 19. In the book ‘Jeff’s Denial’ he described his memories and son’s fight against leukaemia. Until his retirement in 1986 Ernest Zielasko worked as Vice President for Crain’s Rubber Industry Publications. His son David is editor of Tire Business.
Scott & Scott, LLC a law firm with offices in Connecticut and California, announced a securities fraud class action against The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. The complaints filed by the law firm have cited various individual defendants including Samir G. Gibara, Robert W. Tieken, Robert J. Keegan, and Stephanie W. Bergeron.
Only days after signing new master labour agreements with unions in the USA, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have announced comprehensive job-cutting plans. Ford will lose 12,000 jobs worldwide (1,700 in Europe), while DCX will offer early retirement packages to “thousands of US workers” according to reports. One unconfirmed press story suggests that DCX could close up to nine US factories as the car makers face a downturn described as “the most severe that the industry has suffered.”
Ford is aiming to lose 1,700 jobs in Europe, by offering voluntary early retirement to workers at two factories in Germany. A similar move is expected at the Ford factory in Gent, Belgium, while workers in the UK have already been offered early retirement.
Next week Fiat will announce details of its restructuring plans, which are expected to see worldwide job cuts of 10,000, many of which are likely to be in the US operations of Case New Holland. 1,000 jobs will go in Italy, through early retirement. Fiat chief executive Giuseppe Morchio will announce detailed plans on Thursday 26th and it is said that greater emphasis will be placed on R&D in the future.
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