BFS, USWA reach accord on day-to-day extension

ST. LOUIS (April 23)—Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. and the United Steelworkers of America have agreed to a day-to-day extension of their three-year contracts due to expire today. Either side can end the day-to-day agreement with five-day notification. The union has a master agreement with the company covering workers at six Bridgestone/Firestone tire factories, plus two separate agreements for production employees at the company's Bloomington, Ill., and Warren County, Tenn., facilities. The pacts cover about 6,000 workers. The USWA earlier reached similar extension agreements with Goodyear and Michelin North America Inc. regarding their unionized tire and rubber plants. Goodyear earlier this month was designated as the USWA's target bargaining company for 2003 negotiations.