Business: 1979's Bargaining Calendar

Even after the oil workers and Teamsters settle their contracts, an extraordinary number of big pacts, covering a wide variety of workers, will be up for renegotiation next year. A rundown of the most important:

Rubber. Contracts between 70,000 members of the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers of America and the four major tire companies—Firestone, BF Goodrich, Goodyear and Uniroyal—expire in April. The militant union has conducted eight major strikes since 1960; the last, in 1976, dragged on for 141 days. Another next year is likely. Still, the union's demands focus on job security rather than wages, and the cost...

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