One thousand Steelworkers continue to picket Michelin North America's (MNA) Uniroyal Goodrich plant in Kitchener, Ontario, two days after walking out in response to the tiremaker's offer.
"Our members contribute to the overall health of a company that produces a number of high-quality passenger, light truck and high performance tires," says Wayne Fraser, director of the United Steelworkers' Ontario/Atlantic operations.
"They are not prepared to accept deep cuts to their contract, including contracting out of jobs and the slashing of health benefits."
"We believe our offer is reasonable" and addresses the needs of both MNA and the Kitchener employees, a MNA spokesperson told mtdealer.com earlier today.
She declined to discuss specifics of the offer.
"Negotiations have been happening for a couple of months," she says.
No new meetings are scheduled, though both parties say they are ready to resume negotiations.
At capacity, the Kitchener plant can produce 17,500 passenger and 1,000 light truck tires a day, according to Modern Tire Dealer statistics.
