Remember Our Union Brothers and Sisters During the Holidays

The holidays are a hard time to survive without a paycheck, and nearly 16,000 Goodyear workers have not seen a paycheck since early October.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. forced its workers—members of the United Steelworkers—to strike on October 5 by demanding that the union sign a contract that would allow Goodyear to close its third plant in 4 years; export jobs to countries like China, where workers are paid 42 cents an hour; and gut health care for retirees.

While the USW has paid out some $2 million a week in strike benefits, including a $100 holiday bonus, the financial toll is growing—winter heating bills, mortgages and rent, and medicine and food.

Other unions and concerned groups have pitched in to ease the financial strain and help workers pay their bills. AFL-CIO staff collected nearly $9,000 at the AFL-CIO’s annual holiday party.

But more is needed to help the striking workers stand up to a company that has received a $1 billion Wall Street line of credit to help it fight the strike.

The AFL-CIO Working Family Network has established a USW/Goodyear strike fund donation site. Every penny of every donation will go to striking USW members and their families.

Please visit www.aflcio.org to make a donation, or send a check to AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, ATTN: Accounting/Goodyear Strike Fund, 815 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Source: AFL-CIO