10,000 Goodyear union members ratify four-year labor deal

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN1928431920090919

Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:39pm EDT

CHICAGO, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Members of the union representing more than 10,000 workers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (GT.N) have ratified a four-year labor deal, Goodyear and the United Steelworkers union said on Saturday.

Neither the company nor the union offered details of the agreement. Goodyear said an investor conference call was set for Sept. 28 to discuss the contract.

Goodyear, the largest U.S. tire maker, has come under pressure from U.S. auto production declines since last year. Demand from the replacement market has also slumped. Goodyear employs nearly 70,000 people around the world.

The seven plants covered by the agreement are in Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, New York; Danville, Virginia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Gadsden, Alabama; Topeka, Kansas; and Union City, Tennessee. (Reporting by Kyle Peterson; Editing by Peter Cooney)