Workers at a Kumho Tire factory in Macon voted to ratify their first labor contract, after they became the first tire workers to unionize in more than 40 years, according to the United Steelworkers union.

The steelworkers union said the contract provides yearly wage increases, more paid time off, a health and safety committee and other workplace protections.

“With the ratified agreement in place, our jobs will be more secure, prosperous and safer than before,” said USW District 9 Director Daniel Flippo.

Kumho Tire, a South Korea-based tire manufacturer with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, opened its first U.S. factory in Macon in 2016. Workers there voted to join the United Steelworkers in September 2019, according to the union.

The four-year labor contract that runs through Aug. 7, 2027, covers about 325 workers. The contract was ratified with 90% of votes cast in favor, according to USW.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Protesters try to hold a banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as police officers and members of airport security block at the arrival terminal of the Incheon International Airport, in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

Delta employees are under investigation because of content “related to the recent murder of activist Charlie Kirk” that “went well beyond healthy, respectful debate,” CEO Ed Bastian wrote in a companywide memo Friday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez