Goodyear and Steelworkers look ahead to 2006 talks

Sunday, October 30th 2005, 5:58 pm

By: News On 6

CLEVELAND (AP) _ When the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company opens contract talks next year, it may want the United Steelworkers of America to draw on some tough lessons learned in past struggles with a consolidated steel industry.

Goodyear executives say they're considering closing an undisclosed number of plants and saving up to one billion dollars over the next three years.

Goodyear didn't say how many jobs would be cut, how many plants would be closed or identify the locations. The company has 12 tire plants in North America _ nine in the United States and three in Canada. One of the plants is in Lawton, Oklahoma.

The company expects the union, which has seen the American steel industry shrink from several powerhouses to a handful of companies part of global firms, to go along with the reductions.