Parties Dispute Relevancy of Bargaining Agreement in Tire Case

URBANA, Ill. -- Plaintiffs in a tire-making benzene exposure lawsuit have disputed Firestone's reasoning behind removing the claims, saying that the presence of a collective bargaining agreement does not automatically make the claims relevant under the federal Labor Management Relations Act. Blankenship, et al. v. Bridgestone Americas Holding, et al., No. 06-02159 (C.D. Ill.).

In a Sept. 7 motion to remand filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, the plaintiffs say that Firestone's removal of that tire-making benzene exposure lawsuit was erroneous because the claims do not involve collective bargaining agreements, as Firestone had suggested. …