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Local Goodyear workers take strike to NYC

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BY KEVIN ABOUREZK/Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Dec 01, 2006 - 05:55:45 pm CST

Terri Hawthorne stood just five feet from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Thursday afternoon as he accepted a flyer from a fellow Goodyear union member in New York City’s Grand Central Station.

Not a typical day in the life of the 14-year Goodyear employee from Lincoln.

“It’s been an eye-opening experience,” Hawthorne said of the past week, much of which she’s spent handing out flyers in New York.

Story Photo
Terri Hawthorne, a member of USW Local 286 in Lincoln, holds a United Steelworkers banner on Times Square on Wednesday while telling a NASCAR worker about the strike against Goodyear that will affect the supply of tires for the coming racing season. Steelworker union members from tire plants on strike in the US were in New York for three days to educate the public about the work stoppage. (Courtesy)

Along with fellow Goodyear union members, Hawthorne was in New York trying to educate people during NASCAR Victory Week about what the United Steelworkers union says is a potential safety risk to customers during a labor strike.

More than 12,000 union workers in the United States and Canada — including hundreds at a factory in Lincoln — have been on strike since Oct. 5 after the company and union negotiators failed to agree on a  new labor contract.

Since the strike began, Goodyear has been making tires at some of its plants with nonunion and temporary workers, as well as managers.

The Lincoln plant produces various kinds of belts, but does not make tires.

In making its case against the use of temporary workers this week, the United Steelworkers union cited a 2002 study by Princeton University that examined the causes of the Firestone and Ford recall of 14.4 million tires in 2000.

According to the steelworkers, the study linked labor strife, including the use of replacement workers, with the production of defective tires.

The company, however, argued its safety procedures have not been affected by the strike.

“Goodyear will never compromise quality,” said spokesman Ed Markey. “We have systems and procedures in place to ensure every tire meets our safety standards.”

Markey declined comment on the study, but said the company has dedicated, full-time experts who work to ensure safety standards are met by temporary workers.

Markey also cited recently released independent quality audits of three of the company’s tire manufacturing plants that, he said, found the company was meeting safety standards.

NSF Industrial Strategic Registrations, an independent quality auditor, conducted audits at three of Goodyear’s plants affected by the steelworkers’ strike.

The audits found Goodyear to be 100 percent compliant with “international quality systems standards,” according to a company news release.

Said Joe Gingo, Goodyear’s chief quality officer: “The bottom line is that the public can be confident in the quality of Goodyear tires.”

Back in New York, Wayne Fiedler of Lincoln joined Hawthorne in taking his union’s strike to the streets, handing out pamphlets to NASCAR drivers and other employees.

The union chose to target NASCAR employees and drivers because Goodyear is the exclusive provider of tires for the event.

Fiedler said the NASCAR drivers have generally seemed concerned when informed of the use of temporary workers during the strike.

“There are some safety concerns with inexperienced workers building their tires,” he said.

Reach Kevin Abourezk at 473-7225 or kabourezk@journalstar.com.

Demonstration planned

Striking Goodyear workers plan to hold demonstrations at tire stores across the country today, including in Lincoln.

United Steelworkers members, retirees and supporters will gather at 8 a.m. at the Graham Tire locations at 21st and Cornhusker and 68th and O to “educate the public about the ongoing labor dispute at 15 North American Goodyear plants,” according to a news release from the union.


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Locke wrote on December 2, 2006 6:52 pm:
" I wish I could take a vacation in New York City, even if it was a working one. So much for the suffering of Goodyear employees. "

 Dick Thomas wrote on December 2, 2006 7:35 pm:
" Now the Goodyear employees need to go to work like everyone else and quit hiding behind the 'UNION SKIRT" "

 Starving striker wrote on December 4, 2006 5:18 am:
" Christmas is almost here..and the Union says stick it out boys. Are they still getting expense acct.?? Retirees still getting money. How abt ALL of us go without.??? Not just the strikers. Let workers have a say in what comes to vote or not..? "

 bill wrote on December 4, 2006 11:04 am:
" Christmas was bought 3 months ago.Money was saved.I was working the next day of the strike.No parent or grandparent is going to go without medical insurance because of my greed.Can goodyear and it supporters say the same.I think not. One more day and than some!!! "

 foo wrote on December 5, 2006 9:28 am:
" your brothers and sisters in 1159l support this strike, we see every day what goodyear is doing. WE recive all the lotus notes that our pres. sends out to 'all the dedicated goodyear employees' then bashes the Union in his next sentence. it is a hostile work place, even for USW members with free standing contracts. "

 Boo Who? wrote on December 5, 2006 4:55 pm:
" Unions must STOP spending 90% of their time representing the 10% of the union members that don't care about their job OR anyone else's job! This is what gives our unions a bad name! We must work together with our employers to build a strong business environment that will allow EVERYONE to succeed in our society! The economy depends on the middle class! We ask our employers to be fair with us,so as employees,we must be fair and give them an honest days work for an honest days pay! "

 Needs Leadership! wrote on December 6, 2006 9:31 pm:
" To Goodyear: Where will Goodyear find loyal employees willing to show up to work every day, willing to work hard at their job, and care about quality and workmanship that will satisfy our customers if there are poor wages, poor benefits and a bleak future? The turnover of employees would be tremendous and a detriment to the smooth operation of our plants! Employees would always be looking elsewhere for a "better" job. Is a high turnover of employees a good situation for the operation of a plant? Did you ever hear of Henry Ford and how he got started and ran his business? The retirees that came before all of us, both union and management, are the ones who helped to build this company to be what it is today. Please don't ruin OUR GOOD NAME! They all deserve better than what Goodyear would like to do! Who will be left to buy our products? "

 union wife wrote on December 14, 2006 9:29 pm:
" go to the topeka paper and see what your union is prepaired to tdo for some of its workers and leave the others out in the cold they are going to put 200 back to work on the old contract and let the rest of the union workers at all the other plants stay out one day longer guess that day has come for Topeka where do the rest of you stand behind a president of your union that only is standing up for a few of you the rest doesn't matter. look at strike terror war coverage and union makes laber offer on humvee tires and see who the union is standing behind. "

 Trying To Make Ends Meet wrote on December 15, 2006 7:53 pm:
" Ditto the comment of Boo Who on December 5th. If you want to succeed, your company has to succeed. If unions continue to protect workers who couldn't care less about their job, just the paycheck at the end of the week and doing as little as possible to get it, then unions will continue to fade and there will always be conflict between the union members that are left and their employers. An honest days work for an honest days pay has been the thing that has worked for everyone in the past. Remember when unions were strong? The USA has the best work force there is, but we must support ourselves! "

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