The focus of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC (BATO) contract talks with the United Steelworkers (USW) "will be to achieve contracts that allow our various businesses to be globally competitive," say BATO officials.
BATO is negotiating a master contract with the USW that will cover three tire manufacturing plants: LaVergne, Tenn.; Des Moines, Iowa; and a small facility in Akron, Ohio. (The master contract also covers a tube manufacturing plant in Russellville, Ark.)
The tiremaker's Warren County, Tenn., and Bloomington, Ill., factories operate under their own contracts "but they are part of this (round of) negotiations."
BATO's facilities "are all distinctly different businesses and each faces unique competitive challenges," say company officials. "The new contracts must be structured to recognize the specific needs, challenges and circumstances of each facility."
