Goodyear acted to generate takeover opposition.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber and the United Rubber Workers are stepping up efforts to generate public and government opposition to hostile takeover attempts, such as Goodyear’s current fight with Anglo-French financier Sir James Goldsmith. According to published reports, Goodyear’s chairman urged union officials from 36 of the company’s North American plants to lobby their elected officials against foreign takeovers of domestic companies. Members of URW Local 2, representing 2,500 Goodyear employees in Akron, Ohio, where the company is headquartered, have approved a voluntary plan for members to buy Goodyear stock to prevent the takeover.