Remarks at the Annual General Meeting of Continental AG,
May 12th, 2005, Hannover, Germany, by Terry Beane, USWA

* Continental refuses to agree to the 2003 contract re-opener language unless the union resolves all outstanding issues as a package in Bryan,Charlotte and Mayfield. The company told the union that they would delay the process with lawyers as long as possible.

*Continental refused to pay the Corporate Bonus to any employee in Bryan, Charlotte and Mayfield that are represented by the union.

*Continental is demanding cost reductions in Charlotte without providing the union with any job security for the future.

*Continental on December 31, 2004 eliminated tire production in Mayfield. As a result over 80% of the union workers lost their jobs. This company has refused to acknowledge this as a plant closure issue and all of these union workers have been denied contract benefits that they are entitled to.

*Continental has canceled medical insurance coverage that several of the displaced workers at Mayfield are entitled to by contract.

*Continental has allowed optional life insurance premiums to be increased by as much as 4 times the normal premium for the union workers at the Mayfield plant. The contract language guarantees these premiums until October 15, 2006.

*Continental has refused to negotiate new guidelines for the PBC program at Mayfield. The union workers at Mayfield have 15% of their salary based on monthly plant performance. The union workers have not received any of this money since December 2004.

*Continental has informed the union that they are not interested in hiring any of the displaced workers from the Mayfield to work at the Charlotte plant.

*Continental is in violation of the collective bargaining agreement by refusing to allow an arbitrator to decide on the outstanding issues between the union and company.