Goodyear’s Labor Policies Hurt Workers and Drivers in Tennessee
On October 5th, tire workers in Tennessee and other areas of the country walked off the line and into the streets in protest of Goodyear Tire’s proposal to gut their wages, health care benefits and retirement packages. Goodyear responded to the ongoing strike of over 16,000 United Steelworkers members by hiring thousands of temporary employees. The fill-in workers have been keeping the factories humming, but their inexperience may prove to be more costly to drivers everywhere-and ultimately to Goodyear Tires-than providing union employees with the wages and benefits they deserve.
A formidable group of United Steelworkers and their supporters demonstrated in front of the Nashville Goodyear Auto Service Center on November 18th in effort to raise the public’s-and Goodyear’s-awareness of the danger that temporary auto workers may cause to Americans’ lives. The group cited a study done by Princeton University scholars that linked 271 deaths and more than 800 injuries to the year 2000 Firestone/Ford recall of 14.4 million tires manufactured during times of labor strife by temporary workers. In addition to getting fairly compensated for their work, the workers want to keep drivers alive by learning from the mistakes of others.
Tomorrow, December 16, the United Steelworkers are sponsoring a nationwide Goodyear Day of Action to further inform the public about Goodyear’s labor policies and the dangers associated with the thousands of tires that inexperienced laborers are manufacturing daily.
You can help keep our roads safe by joining the union members at Goodyear’s Nashville store at 405 Harding Place where they will be handing out leaflets to shoppers from 9 to 11 in the morning. Your presence there may help prevent the kind of needless deaths that took place at the hand of defective tires in 2000. Our firm will continue to educate the public about how to minimize such tragic accidents, and to help those who are victims of them get the justice they deserve.
Author Bio
Jim Higgins, founder of the Higgins Firm, is a seasoned personal injury attorney with deep roots in Nashville, Tennessee. A 4th generation Nashvillian, Jim carries on the legal legacy of his father, a judge for over 30 years. After graduating from the University of Memphis School of Law, Jim’s career began on the other side of the courtroom, defending insurance companies and learning their tactics for minimizing settlements. However, he soon realized his true calling was fighting for the rights of the injured, and for the past several years, he has exclusively represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases.
Since then, his dedication and skill have earned him membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization limited to attorneys who have secured million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for their clients. Licensed to practice in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia, Jim focuses on personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation cases. His exceptional work has been recognized by his peers, earning him a spot on the Super Lawyers list from 2021 to 2024, a distinction awarded to only a select group of accomplished attorneys in each state.
