Senator urges Cooper, union to work on pact
Findlay Courier — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Thursday urged leaders of Cooper Tire and its locked-out unionized employees to work toward a labor agreement.
Brown, D-Ohio, wrote separate letters to Cooper Chief Executive Officer Roy Armes and United Steelworkers Local 207L President Rod Nelson.
More than 1,000 unionized Findlay workers have been locked out by Cooper Tire since Nov. 28, after rejecting a company contract proposal. During the lockout, Cooper successfully negotiated a new contract with 1,500 unionized workers at its plant in Texarkana, Ark.
Brown cited the Texarkana labor contract, approved three weeks ago, in each of the letters to Armes and Nelson. But in each letter the reference took a slightly different turn.
To Armes, Brown said: “I am sure the recent agreement provides a sense of stability and economic security for both the company and its Arkansas workforce. In this spirit, I ask that you work diligently to reach a fair agreement in Findlay that will allow the workers to return to their jobs.”
