Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Findlay, Ohio, headquarters will be a popular place tomorrow when the United Steelworkers (USW)and friends visit to talk about the state of the Findlay manufacturing plant.
Last week, Cooper stated that it would be conducting a 90-day capacity study of its four domestic manufacturing facilities to "determine how to optimize manufacturing capacity in relation to developing market and customer needs." (See "Cooper plant capacity study could result in restructuring," Oct. 21, 2008.)
The USW believes Cooper is likely to close one of the following four plants: Findlay; Texarkana, Ark.; Tupelo, Miss.; or Albany, Ga.
On Wednesday, Oct. 29, members of Local 207L will be joined by U.S. Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.); Gerald McEntee, international president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); and Joe Rugola, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO, when they call on Cooper in Findlay "to commit to continue making tires here and discuss the many differences between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on trade policies that cost millions of manufacturing jobs throughout the country."
