Much notice has been given to Bridgestone Tires’ recent acquisition of naming rights to the Nashville Arena, which will be celebrated in a Wednesday, March 10, 2010 ceremony. It is cited as the most recent example of Bridgestone’s good corporate neighbor behavior.

Many United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1055 members, especially some of the 600 laid off last summer when the plant stopped producing passenger tires, are angry when they hear that the company is spending millions on public relations, marketing and advertising while workers are losing jobs and taking pay cuts.

USW Local 1055 members would like to point out that they are contributing to the company and the community at a rate of $7.2 million per year, or nearly $30 million over four years, through concessions that the company said were necessary to improve the plant’s global competitiveness ... more