Layoffs at US Yokohama Tire plant

The indefinite layoff of 31 workers at Yokohama Tire’s Salem passenger car and light truck tyre factory in the US has been announced. In a statement, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia, LLC, president Tetsuro ‘Tex’ Murakami, explains that the cuts are being made to “more effectively streamline” the facility’s current production schedule and inventory capacity.

At present, 910 people are employed at the Salem plant. Of this total, 718 belong to the United Steelworkers union, and Murakami points out that the layoffs “are in accordance with the company and the union’s collective bargaining agreement.” The 31 affected employees have worked at the plant for 14 months or less, and are all hourly employees represented by the union.