Tyler plant workers hopeful about tentative deal

The 44-year-old unprofitable plant in Texas may be closed after 2007.
TYLER, Texas (AP) -- Union workers at the city's unprofitable Goodyear Tire & amp; Rubber Co. plant reacted with hope and some heartache to a tentative deal that would end an 11-week strike but doesn't guarantee their factory's future beyond 2007.
The world's third-largest tiremaker and the United Steelworkers union reached the deal after both sides resumed talks early last week. About 12,600 union workers nationwide must still put the contract to a vote at ratification meetings expected to be held Thursday.
The deal allows Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear to stick with plans to close the 44-year-old Tyler plant -- which employs about 1,100 people -- but not immediately. It provides for a one-year transition period during which workers will have the opportunity to take advantage of retirement buyouts.
"It's not as good as we'd liked to have done, and it's better than [Goodyear] wanted to do," said Jim Wansley, president of the USW Local 746L in Tyler.
Goodyear announced Oct. 30 it was planning to shut down its Tyler plant that makes wholesale private label tires. The plant's fate had been a key issue in negotiations, along with health care benefits.
Plant's fate uncertain
But the union said the future of the plant, where workers continued to picket outside Saturday, could not be won beyond the end of 2007.
Although union workers in Tyler said the announcement wasn't a complete victory, they were thankful negotiations were progressing.
"With the fight that they've [the union] been doing, this is the best Christmas present they could give us," said Carl Wolford, who has been with Goodyear for 14 years.
Michael Powell, who's been with Goodyear for seven years, said ratification is what most of the workers nationwide want.
"You know, everyone wants this to come to an end," he said. "We were here to take a stand."
Encouragement
The factory in Tyler, a city of about 101,000, and Goodyear factories in 15 other cities in the U.S. and Canada went on strike Oct. 5.
In Tyler's case, its massive plant boasts benchmark efficiency but produces mostly poor-selling tires for passenger cars instead of the larger and more profitable models for SUVs and pickups.
City officials, fearful of losing one of Tyler's largest employers, had presented Goodyear 12 million in incentives to keep the plant running.
Tom Mullins, president and chief executive officer of the Tyler Economic Development Council, said the tentative agreement was reason for encouragement.
"I think this is a hopeful sign," Mullins said.
"We didn't think the plant would stay open at all, and to get another year could open the door to some opportunities that we're not aware of at this time."