GENE RANDALL, CNN ANCHOR: It's shaping up to be something other than a relaxing holiday weekend for Firestone tire executives. The government is urging the company to recall more tires, while the United Steelworkers Union is threatening a strike. CNN's Ed Garsten is in St. Louis with the latest on the labor situation -- Ed.</s>ED GARSTEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Gene -- just got off the phone with the United Steel Workers, who tell us that, after some 72 hours of almost non-stop negotiations in the wee hours of the morning, they decided to take a much-needed break. But they're back at it. They've been back at it for the last couple of hours now. Last night, down at the La Vergne, Tennessee Firestone plant, once they got word that -- about an hour and a half before the strike deadline, that talks were progressing, that progress was being made and the strike deadline was lifted; obvious joy on the part of the workers. The union has told its membership to report to all shifts while the talks are going on at the nine plants that are involved. Thus far that still remains in force. Now as far as progress is concerned today, here is way the United Steel Workers put it to me, they said, The next progress report you get from us is either that we have an agreement or we don't. And if we don't have an agreement, then we have a labor dispute and things could just go back on reset and a new strike deadline could be set. So, Gene, at this point, the talks are continuing. It looks like both sides are hunkered down. They said it could go as long as a couple of more days before they know exactly where they stand. Ed Garsten, CNN, reporting live from St. Louis.</s>RANDALL: Thanks, Ed, we'll talk to you later.</s>GARSTEN: OK.
Firestone Strike Averted as Talks Progress