USW expresses disappontment at Union City closure

ERJ staff report (DS)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- The United Steelworkers (USW) said it was very disappointed to learn that Goodyear Tire used a WARN notice to tell employees that their services would no longer be needed at the Union City, Tenn. facility scheduled for shutdown.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 (WARN Act) is a US labour law which requires most employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 calendar-day advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs of employees.

"We tried to convince the company to put different product lines in the Union City facility," said USW Secretary-Treasurer Stan Johnson, who directs the unions Rubber and Plastics Industry Council, "but its response was that it did not need the capacity in the North American market."

USW Local 878L members will continue to receive their wages for the duration of the 60-day WARN notice and will receive substantial benefits that were negotiated in advance of any possible shutdown. Goodyear had announced on Feb. 10 that it intended to close the West Tennessee plant by the end of 2011. Some 1,900 people from West Tennessee and western Kentucky are affected.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Press release from USW