Goodyear Employees Face Hungry Fortnight

Thousands of Goodyear employees at several temporarily closed US facilities are facing a lean fortnight after learning the company ‘sub-pay’ trust fund that was supposed to cover them during the closure period may contain insufficient funds. This means many workers at affected facilities must rely solely on unemployment benefits to survive.

According to United Steelworkers executive vice president Ron Hoover, the ‘sub-pay’ trust fund was designed to act as a supplemental income during a company lay-off. “The company puts so many cents into the fund, which is based on hours worked,” he explained. “When you have three large plants who will not be working, it’s uncertain how much money will be put back into the sub-pay fund.” The fund, when functioning correctly, should pay workers with three years or more with Goodyear up to 80 per cent of their normal wage.

One of the four affected facilities in North America is the tyre manufacturing plant in Union City, Tennessee. In Tennessee, if a worker files for unemployment, he or she must wait a full week before receiving compensation. Therefore, during the Union City plant’s two-week shutdown, employees affected by the work stoppage will receive a maximum state unemployment benefit of US$275 for one week.