estone Tire and Rubber Co., to recall nearly 13 million tires. That recall involved the Firestone 500-series radial passenger car tires. The 1978 recall "remains the single largest product-safety action in automotive history" (Hess, 09/16/00). There are many similarities between the current recall and the 1978 recall. Both involved long strips of tread separating from the tires, apparently a result of a breakdown of the adhesion among the layers of the tires. Until the recent problems began at Bridgestone/Firestone, Firestone tires were among the top selling tires.Problems/WeaknessesProblems at Bridgestone/Firestone have recently become some of the top news headlines. The three most pertinent areas of controversy include labor relations and plant safety, production problems, and the current tire recall.Threats of a union strike back in September brought to light issues involving poor labor relations at Bridgestone/Firestone. According to observers, there has been a "long history of labor trouble at the company - and in the tire industry in general" (Wilson, 09/04/00). The United Steelworkers of America had threatened to strike at nine of the Bridgestone/Firestone plants if an agreement could not be reach by September 1, 2000. Allegations have been made that faulty tires were made at a plant that was using replacement workers. On September 21, however, Bridgestone/Firestone announced that three contracts covering those nine plants had been ratified by the union (Bridgestone/Firestone Corporate News). Despite the contract resolution, Firestone is still in need of improving relations with its workers.Working conditions and plant safety is another area that needs improvement. A series of tragic accidents at Firestone plants has also caused problems for Bridgestone/Firestone. One worker in an Oklahoma City plant died when the tire-assembly machine he was working on suddenly turned on and crushed his head. Two welders also died...
