The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has made it very easy to find union-made tires by requiring that each tire carry a code that shows the company and the location of the plant that manufactured the tire. DOT requires that each tire sold in the United States carry a code that looks something like this: DOT BE XX XXX XXX. The two letters or numbers that follow the DOT identify a particular factory as listed below:
- BE: B.F. Goodrich, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- BF: B.F. Goodrich, Woodburn, Ind.
- VE, YE, YU, 8B: Bridgestone/Firestone, Des Moines, Iowa
- D2, E3, W1, Y7: Bridgestone/Firestone, La Vergne, Tenn.
- 2C, 4D, 5D: Bridgestone/Firestone, Morrison, Tenn.
- UP: Cooper, Findlay, Ohio
- UT: Cooper, Texarkana, Ark.
- JU, PC, UK: Goodyear, Medicine Hat, Alberta
- JJ, MD, PU: Goodyear, Gadsden, Ala.
- DA: Dunlop, Buffalo, N.Y.
- JN, MJ, PY: Goodyear, Topeka, Kan.
- JE, MC, PT: Goodyear, Danville, Va.
- JF, MM, PJ: Kelly-Springfield, Fayetteville, N.C.
- CF: Titan Tire, Des Moines
- JH, MN, PK: Titan Tire, Freeport, Ill.
- B plus serial #: Titan Tire, Bryan, Ohio
- CC: Yokohama Tire, Salem, Va.
All tires made at the above locations are made by members of the United Steelworkers (USW). Make sure you use this easy-to-follow guide to buy union-made tires.
Want more union made products? Text MADE to 235246 (standard data and message rates may apply).
This article was originally printed on AFL-CIO on March 9, 2014.  Reprinted with permission.
About the Author: Kenneth Quinnell is a long-time blogger, campaign staffer and political activist whose writings have appeared on AFL-CIO, Daily Kos, Alternet, the Guardian Online, Media Matters for America, Think Progress, Campaign for America’s Future and elsewhere.