Goodyear Notifies Tyler Plant of More Layoffs

Employees at the Goodyear plant in Tyler, Texas have been given notice of further upcoming redundancies. According to Harold Sweat, president of United Steelworkers Local 746L, the redundancies will take place some time between September 22 and October 6 and include about 70 people.

Goodyear has issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice of the layoffs, which it refers to as a “permanent separation.” This is the second WARN notice received by the Tyler plant within two months. The notice also contained a phrase saying the plant “will be permanently closed,” said Sweat.

Some 25 to 30 people will remain at the facility following these redundancies, the union official added. The union and Goodyear have agreed that some workers will stay on for a longer timeframe, working through a phase of the plant’s closure. Mr. Sweat said the company has not provided the union with a list of jobs these people will perform.

Employees due to be laid off on August 8, those made redundant by the latest announcement and those finishing up when the plant ultimately closes will be covered by the compensation package ratified by the union on July 18. Sweat said 94 per cent of union members that voted cast their vote in favour of ratification.