General Motors might "mimic an accord" between Goodyear Tire & Rubber and the United Steelworkers of America in an "attempt to shed billions of dollars in retiree health care obligations," Bloomberg/Chicago Tribune reports. As part of an agreement last month to end a three-month strike, Goodyear transferred health care liabilities for current and future union retirees to an independent trust fund. In exchange, Goodyear established a $1 billion fund to pay medical costs and agreed to invest at least $550 million in manufacturing facilities represented by the union. GM CEO Rick Wagoner said that the company has begun to review the agreement. GM CFO Fritz Henderson said, "It would be fair to say that we have more than a passing interest in the Goodyear agreement," although the company has not begun to discuss the issue with the United Auto Workers. According to GM, the company in 2005 had $81 billion in health care liabilities for salaried and hourly retirees in the U.S. and spent an estimated $5.1 billion on health care for 1.1 million employees, retirees and their dependents (Bloomberg/Chicago Tribune, 1/19).