Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people) said today it will idle three auto-production plants because of its Firestone tire recall, taking 6, 000 workers off the production lines.

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There's been no talk of a strike, and it wasn't clear whether the union would use the talks as a pattern to set the stage for negotiations during the summer with tire makers Bridgestone-Firestone and Michelin-BFGoodrich.

WSJ: Goodyear, union begin contract talks for 6 plants

Suffering from a failed takeover of the U.S.' Firestone and Germany's Continental and a declining tire market, Pirelli offered him his first restructuring challenge at a multinational.

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Meanwhile, the Firestone Affinity LH--the first mass-market tire rated for high performance--hit stores in March and is selling well.

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And while Firestone remains the third-largest brand behind Goodyear and Michelin in the U.S. replacement-tire market, the crisis leaves it with a 7.5% market share, down from a high of 10.5% in 1999.

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