Published: December 04, 2006 09:57 pm         

TONAWANDA: Dunlop strike spreads

Two months into the strike, picketers move to retail stores

United Steelworkers Union members across the country have expanded their protests to retail stores that carry Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. products.

The point of the demonstrations is to spread awareness to the community, said Kathy Kluczynski, vice president of Local 135, the area Steelworkers union chapter.

About 100 protesters gathered in front of the Kenmore Goodyear Tire Store at 1795 Sheridan Dr. on Saturday, Kluczynski said. Demonstrations were also held in Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Ky.; Portland, Ore.; Topeka, Kan., Houston and Allentown, Pa.

At the demonstrations, union members hand out fliers to customers warning them that Goodyear brand tires could potentially be dangerous, Kluczynski said.

Union members say the tires are unsafe because they are built by temporary workers who are not properly trained. It can take builders up to one year to master the technique, Kluczynski said. The temporary workers only have a few weeks training, she said.

When this happened previously in the tire industry, there were problems with the product, said Dan Dunlap, sub-district director of the United Steelworkers Union for district four.

Consumers should not spend money on a poor quality product, Dunlap said.

Goodyear is not focused on the new demonstrations, said Ed Markey, spokesman for the company.

“Our focus is on re-staffing, continuing to build quality tires and serving our customers,” Markey said.

It is difficult to determine how much training a temporary employee receives, Markey said. The training for temporary employees varies depending on the type of position and the plant in which they are working, he said.

Goodyear would never do anything to compromise the quality of its products, Markey said. The company has a long-standing system to ensure that every Goodyear tire meets safety standards, he said. Workers who oversee this system, including quality inspectors and engineers, are salaried employees and are not on strike, Markey said.

Also, recent independent quality audits, conducted by NSF Industrial Strategic Registrations, found Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to be in 100 percent compliance with its quality standards, Markey said.

The audits, which were scheduled before the strike, were done in three plants effected by the strike, he said.

“Anyone can buy a Goodyear tire without hesitation,” Markey said.