AKRON, Ohio -- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has reached tentative agreement on a new master contract covering about 10,300 employees at seven tire plants in the United States. The union is expected to schedule ratification votes at all plants in the coming days.

"We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that accomplishes Goodyear's bargaining goals and helps secure the future for its U.S. factories," said Jim Allen, Goodyear's chief negotiator.

The previous three-year labor agreement had been extended twice, and the most recent extension was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Aug. 29. The parties had been negotiating in Cincinnati since June 8.

The plants covered by the tentative agreement are: Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Topeka, Kan.; and Union City, Tenn.