Labor contract negotiations between Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) broke down this past Thursday, according to union officials.
USWA spokesman Wayne Ranick told moderntiredealer.com that Steelworkers presented a new contract proposal to Cooper that day.
"The big issues center around health care and not sending jobs overseas," he says.
Workers at Cooper's Texarkana, Ark., plant have been picketing since March 12, when the labor contract at the facility expired.
The Texarkana plant produces 40,000 tires per day, according to Cooper officials.
"There are no scheduled bargaining sessions," says Ranick.
