Labor contract negotiations between Michelin North America Inc. and the United Steelworkers are underway.
The parties' current contract expires next month. It covers 3,400 workers at Michelin's BFGoodrich plants in Opelika and Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Fort Wayne, Ind.
"This year's negotiations are very important," says a Michelin spokesman. "Global competition continues to make industrial production very challenging."