From Tire Review

The United Steelworkers has filed a class action lawsuit against Continental Tire North America (CTNA) in a dispute over retiree medical benefits.

The suit was filed on Dec. 13 in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Western Division.

USW officials said they filed suit “to force the tiremaker to uphold its obligations to thousands of retirees, spouses and surviving spouses to provide retiree medical benefits throughout retirement.”

The union claims CTNA “breached agreements promising lifetime insurance coverage by announcing that, effective on various dates in 2007, it will shift a large part of the cost of retiree medical coverage from the company to the retirees and surviving spouses.”

Of particular interest to the USW are retirees from former CTNA plants in Akron, OH; Mayfield, KY; Charlotte, NC; Waco, TX; and Bryan, OH, that have been closed or sold in recent years.