Continental Tire's Attack on Retired Union Workers in the US

Interviews with retired workers from Continental Tire who have lost their promised health care coverage.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• USW
• Steelworkers
• Continental
• Tire
• Retirees
• health
• care
• union
• unions
• tire
• workers

[kilowat1946]

i built tires at the continental tire in mayfield ky for 22 years had back surgery in 93 was not allowed back in because i couldn't prove i did it at work.over the years we always gave up part of our raise for insurance.

the most i was ever paid for building a tire was around $1.00 !! next time you go for a ride think about the china made tire you are riding on i pray for you.

[daddeo01905]

Did the company try to sell the company to the workers? Or did the company shut down on short notice with no explaination to the workers and no care for their future? Business does not have to be cold and cruel to people.

[RBS634]

Let's be serious. How many customers and how much revenue has Continental lost because of this move that is supposed to save them money? I think they need a new bean counter on the rolls because the math just ain't adding up to me.

[RBS634]

Ultra low production costs are no reason to turn your backs on retirees who made the profits you have today. There will always be another country more enticing to move to: we've seen that with the move from Mexico to China. While our laws do not provide the protections they should to workers, morality and ethical sensibilities should set in when faced with the notion that dumping retiree health care in the toilet is good for business.

[dissieb]

More and more workers are hitting retirement age, many after 30 years of being exposed to toxic chemicals like those at Continental. But WE're taking pensions and health care from most of them. Our companies and our government -WE- are not taking care of them. What do we think will happen to our older population? It is a moral issue and an economic issue.

[GreggJocoy]

Problem is our system doesn't include all the costs. There is no tax on air pollution, so it "makes sense" to make toys in China and ship them here, or make tires or textiles in Brazil. USW members shouldn't care if their tires are sold in Charlotte or Texas, but a plant in Texas keeping delivery distances shorter would make sense if we required that we pay now for the damage we are doing to the environment instead of leaving our grandkids to take care of later.

[breu2]

Your right its doubtful that either one of us will change our positions due to our own personal life experiences. Keep on posting and making Youtube a more meaningful platform

[usw850]

Laws, rules, and sentiment seem to favor business over the American worker. How many times have we the consumer saved a buck at the result of outsourcing as corporations claim? If this statement is true and Continental Tire saves on outsourcing, how come they just raised the price of their tires 5%? So, in my eyes, the only benefactor is those businesses. Perhaps we the American people will wake up when we earn the wages of China.

[usw850]

No offence taken and yes we may have different points of view on this subject, but I speak first hand. It has been said that each of us believe the way we believe and thats pretty much it. Very rarly do we change our minds. Again competition is a buzzword for job cuts, outsourcing, reduction or elimination of healthcare, and so on, all at the benefit of corporations. Who else benefits from this?

[breu2]

Besides a highly protected market how do you think American manufacturing companies can compete with ultra low production cost factories in China and other places? Its easy to see we are coming from different sides of this spectrum and i wonder how you think your ideals of bussiness can hold up to the competition of the world market? I am not trying to offend you but just want to understand how you see things.