AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will hold an investor conference call to discuss details of its new master labor contract with the United Steelworkers union and related financial developments at 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday, January 9. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO ) Participating in the conference call will be Robert J. Keegan, chairman and chief executive officer; Richard J. Kramer, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Jonathan D. Rich, president, North American Tire, and Darren R. Wells, senior vice president, business development and treasurer. The master contract, which covers workers at 12 tire and engineered products factories in the United States, gives Goodyear the ability to reduce excess high-cost manufacturing capacity, decrease legacy costs, improve productivity and source product globally. Provisions of the three-year agreement, which was ratified December 28, 2006, provide Goodyear with the ability to achieve up to $610 million in cost savings over its term and $300 million a year in ongoing savings. The 12 master contract plants and their workers covered by the agreement are: Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Lincoln, Neb.; Marysville, Ohio; St. Marys, Ohio; Sun Prairie, Wis.; Topeka, Kan.; Tyler, Texas; and Union City, Tenn. Prior to the commencement of the call, the company will post the financial and other statistical information that will be presented on its investor relations Web site: investor.goodyear.com. Shareholders, members of the media and other interested persons may access the conference call on the Web site or via telephone by calling (706) 634-5954 before 8:55 a.m. January 9. A taped replay of the conference call will be available at 3 p.m. that day by calling (706) 634-4556. The call replay will also remain available on the Web site. Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. The company manufactures tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals in more than 100 facilities in 29 countries around the world. Goodyear employs about 80,000 people worldwide. Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, with respect to the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA), whether or not the various contingencies and requirements are met for the establishment of the VEBA, including the receipt of the necessary court and regulatory approvals. There are a variety of additional factors, many of which are beyond the company's control, which affect its operations, performance, business strategy and results and could cause its actual results and experience to differ materially from the assumptions, expectations and objectives expressed in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, actions and initiatives taken by both current and potential competitors, increases in the prices paid for raw materials and energy, the company's ability to realize anticipated savings and operational benefits from its cost reduction initiatives, including those expected to be achieved under the company's master labor contract with the United Steelworkers and those related to the closure of the company's Tyler, Texas, facility, potential adverse consequences of litigation involving the company, pension plan funding obligations as well as the effects of more general factors such as changes in general market or economic conditions or in legislation, regulation or public policy. Additional factors are discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent our estimates only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company CONTACT: media: Ed Markey, +1-330-796-8801, or analyst contact: Greg Dooley, +1-330-796-6704, both of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

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