Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC (BFNT) will start contract talks with the United Steelworkers on June 14. The parties' current contract expires on July 23.
"We need a contract that will allow is to be competitive in the global marketplace," a BFNT spokesperson told moderntiredealer.com earlier today.
The current agreement between BFNT and the union was ratified last June. It was retroactive to April 23, 2003, the expiration date of the parties' previous contract.
The existing contract covers BFNT tire production plants in Akron, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; LaVergne, Tenn.; and Oklahoma City, Okla., in addition to a tube plant in Russellville, Ark., and an air spring factory in Bloomington, Ill.
BFNT and union officials will hold negotiations in St. Louis, Mo.
