Grading the union

By: Bob Ulrich

No union has been in the news of late more than the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union. You know them as the United Steelworkers (USW).

Between contract negotiations with the Big Three domestic tire manufacturers and its fight for tariffs on Chinese consumer tire imports, the USW has been front and center in every media outlet in the country.

In the past, that has been a recipe for public relations disaster for union leaders. I have written about how, in my opinion, they write press releases that border on defamation when they are faced with viewpoints counter to their own.

Whether their bullying has hurt or helped their rank and file members is a debate for another time. For now, I would like to grade the USW on its actions and reactions in 2009.

Labor negotiations. Grade: A.  In June, the USW began serious contract talks with Michelin North America Inc., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC. All three companies were working under three-year contracts that were set to expire in July.
Goodyear and the union agreed to extend their existing contract twice during the negotiations. Michelin and the union extended their contract once.

Bridgestone and the USW let their contract run out. However, they continued to negotiate under the terms and conditions of the expired contract on a day-to-day basis.

The union gets high marks for agreeing to keep the discussions moving without openly complaining about, well, anything. Even when Goodyear secured “unprotected status” for its Union City, Tenn., plant during the talks — which gave it the right to close the factory if need be — the union respectfully kept quiet.

Michelin’s BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing division was the first to reach a tentative contract with the union (Aug. 15, three years). Goodyear was next (Aug. 30, four years), followed by Bridgestone (Sept. 19, four years). All were ratified by union members.

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Related Topics: Bob Ulrich, Chinese tire imports, Editorial, USW

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