Goodyear’s Gadsden factory will stop producing tyres for 16 days from August 16, and four other Goodyear consumer sector tyre facilities in North America are also reducing tyre production. Goodyear Gadsden communications manager Jackie Brehm Edmondson said the Goodyear plant will shut down at 1pm August 16 and reopen at 7am September 2 for an ‘inventory adjustment.’ Plant employees were told of the plans on August 1.
Goodyear has appointed a new plant manager at its Fayetteville, North Carolina. Timothy Frosell began in his job in early October and takes control at a time when major investment plans for modernising that facility are underway.
Since joining Goodyear in 1984 Frosell has worked at a number of the company’s US sites, and has previously served as plant manager Kingman, Arizona, Buffalo, New York and Social Circle, Georgia. Frosell replaces Gary Cushman, who is taking on the position of strategic manufacturing engineering manager at Goodyear’s headquarters in Akron, Ohio.
(Akron/Tire Review) As expected, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley vetoed a bill that would have given a US$40 million incentive package to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s plant in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Easley claimed the bill “would set a dangerous precedent” by allowing companies to lay off workers even while receiving state aid.
While bill supporters said the legislation was developed to help all companies in the state, critics said the bill was created specifically to aid the Goodyear plant. The bill would have allowed Goodyear to receive state funding and incentives even if the Fayetteville plant’s work force fell to 2,000 employees. Currently, the plant employs some 2,750 workers.
“I take no joy in this action today,” Easley was quoted as saying, “I cannot, in good conscience, pay $40 million of taxpayers’ money to a company to lay off 700 workers. It makes no sense.” The vetoed bill will be returned to the state legislature, which will consider whether to override the veto.
(Akron/Tire Review – Fayetteville Observer) After five weeks of negotiations, the United Steelworkers of America and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. have reached an agreement on local issues.
About 300 union and family members gathered Mar. 18 at Pine Forest Middle School, less than half a mile from the tyre plant, to hear details of the tentative agreement, which mainly addressed scheduling, hiring and vacation time. Wages and benefits were not part of the talks, as they were decided in December by the master contract.
“What did we get during local negotiations?” asked Darryl Jackson, president of the Local 959. “Depends on who you talk to.”
Considering the union brought more than 100 proposals to the table and the company brought nine, Jackson said he felt they reached a “good deal.” Union members will get a chance to vote on the agreement Wednesday at the union hall, across the street from the plant.
After 36 years in Fayetteville, Kelly-Springfield Tire Co is changing its name. The company is assuming the name of its parent company – Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co – as Goodyear tries to unify its image. The 111-year-old company employs more than 2,650 people at the Fayetteville plant, which is reported to be one of the largest tyre manufacturing facilities in the world, producing 55,000 tyres per day. Kelly-Springfield was purchased by Goodyear in 1935 and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary until 1996, when it was fully merged with Goodyear.
(Akron/TR) Finalists have been selected for Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s Highway Hero Award, given to a professional truck driver who shows heroism in his or her work. Journalists from the trucking industry are voting for the one driver who will be selected as the 2004 Goodyear North America Highway Hero and presented the award at the Truck Writers of North America annual banquet, Goodyear said.
