On Jan. 2, 2007, Standard&Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its 'B+' corporate credit and other ratings on Goodyear Tire&Rubber Co. and removed them from CreditWatch where they were placed with negative implications on Oct. 16, 2006, as a result of the labor dispute at several of the company's North American plants. The affirmation follows the announcement that Goodyear and the United Steel Workers Union (USW), representing about 12,600 employees at 12 plants in the U.S. and Canada, have reached an agreement on a new contract and union members have ratified the agreement. The outlook is stable. Pro forma for $1 billion of new debt sold in the fourth quarter--partly to refinance $515 million of debt coming due
