THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506080515
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Daily Digest
LENGTH: Short : 26 lines
The United Rubber Workers and the United Steel Workers of America have hired 100 organizers to escalate their campaign to protest Bridgestone-Firestone Inc.'s hiring of replacement workers during a recent strike. The new push will be evident in Newport News today as the coalition protests at the Firestone Tire Store on Warwick Boulevard in Newport News. The Japanese-based tiremaker hired as many as 4,000 replacement workers when URW members went on strike last July. Last month, URW members agreed unconditionally to return to work, but Bridgestone would only rehire 153 of them, or 3.8 percent of those who walked off the job. The URW and USWA agreed to merge last month to strengthen their negotiating positions in the United States and Canada. The unions want their members returned to work at Bridgestone. They said they abandoned their strike in favor of a boycott and protest. (Bloomberg and Staff) by CNB