Job Cuts Expected at Goodyear in Poland

Esmerk, December 24, 2008

 

The management at the Debica tyre manufacturer, which is controlled by the US company Goodyear, has announced that collective bargaining negotiations will take pace in the near future. No details could be obtained from Debica's management, although it is thought that this will mean job cuts. The announcement comes in the middle of an enforced standstill in production at the company's factory, due to lack of demand. A representative of one of the unions said that he has no doubt that the company is seeking to cut labour costs, through job cuts. This is despite the companies assurances that there would be no group redundancies, when it negotiated with the staff that they would receive no pay rise for the first eight months of 2009.

Goodyear off for holidays

The Fayetteville Observer, December 9, 2008

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will take a break from production at its Fayetteville plant between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2.

“We’ve known it was coming,” said Daryl Jackson, president of United Steelworkers Local 959. The official announcement happened Friday, he added.

This will be the fifth week of production halts this year.

Richard Evans, spokesman for the plant on Ramsey Street that employs about 3,000 people, said production will stop at 7 a.m. on Dec. 24 and resume at 7 a.m. on Jan 2.

Because employees will be paid for the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays, they won’t be off the clock long enough to qualify for unemployment claims, Jackson said. During previous production halts this year, workers were able to collect unemployment.

If there is money in the “sub-pay” trust fund, which is contracted between the company and United Steelworkers, it will be made available, Jackson said.

Given the dire situation with the economy and Detroit automakers, union members are generally relieved that they didn’t end up taking more time off than this, Jackson said.

“It’s like I told the membership — with the Big Three in the shape that they’re in, we’re fortunate that we’re 99.9 percent in the replacement market,” Jackson said. Plants dealing in original equipment — tires that go on new cars — are in a far worse position, he said.

Plant officials have said that the four prior weeks of production halts this year were to bring inventory in line with demand.

That’s partly the reason again.

“But this is more of a standard practice at the end of the year,” Evans said. “We’ve done this a number of times.”

During a conference call with investors last month, Goodyear officials told analysts that additional production halts were likely.

“As we continue to manage to the current market conditions, we’ll accelerate our action under our ‘cash is king’ strategy,” Robert J. Keegan, Goodyear’s chairman and chief executive officer, told investors at that time. “We will manage aggressively for cash.”

Part of that means making necessary production cutbacks, said Keegan, who added that demand indicators point to a continued “challenging” environment at least through the middle of 2009.

News from Goodyear Chile

News from Goodyear Chile - the union denounces Goodyear's action in Chile.  During Oct - Nov, around 250 workers from the shop floor and adminstration were fired.  Admin of the company says that for 2009, production projection is not higher than the 3,200,000/yr, even though it was to get to 5,000,000/year.  They also said they would end the the work schedule of 4 shifts (6 days worked, 2 off) - ergo the great number of workers gone.

In November, the Union leadership gave the company suggestions for possible cuts that would preserve jobs and at the same time give the company the biggest margin to manage the crisis.  We regret that the company gnored our proposals and opted for the  most drammatic action for the workers and their families, mass firings.

 

We need direct information on Goodyear's projections from the USA, and the vision from the rest of Latin America.

 

We send fraternal greetings to all of our brothers in the region during such difficult times.

 

Board of Directors, Number 1 Workers Union, Goodyear, Chile

Gerald:
La Organizacion del Sindicato de Trabajadores Nº1 de Goodyear de Chile, denuncia el actuar de la trasnacional Goodyear en nuestro pais.
Durante los meses Octubre- Noviembre fueron despedidas alrededor de 250 personas siendo estos trabajadores de piso y administrativos.
La administracion informa que para el año 2009 la pryeccion de produccion no supera los 3.200.000 de neumaticos al año, siendo que hasta hace un tiempo atras, esa proyeccion llegaba a los 5.000.000 de unidades anual.
ademas informarmamos el termino de la jornada continua de 4 turnos (6 dias trabajados y 2 dias libres) y por ende la salida de gran cantidad de trabajadores.
La Directiva del Sindicato a inicios del mes de noviembre planteo a la administracion de la empresa posibles recortes en la reajustabilidad de nuestros sueldos y por otra parte un recorte de porcentaje del sueldo base, buscando darle a la empresa un mayor margen en la viabilidad del manejo en esta crisis y con el objetivo claro de mantener los puestos de trabajo. Lamentamos que la empresa haya hecho caso omiso de estas propuestas y opto por lo mas dramatico para con los trabajadores y sus familias, el despedido masivo.
 
 
(quisieramos tener informacion directa de las proyecciones de las plantas Goodyear en EEUU y la vision del resto de las plantas en sudamerica).
 
Desde Chile un abrazo fraterno pàra todos los compañeros hermanos de la region, en momentos tan dificiles.
Comunicaciones.
Directiva Sindicato Nº 1 de Trabajadores de Goodyear Chile

 

Goodyear halts Turkey factory production for 10 days

Reuters, December 7, 2008

Two Goodyear Tire factories in Turkey will halt production for ten days in December and January, state-run Anatolian reported a union President Abdullah Karacan as saying.

The two factories in Adapazari and Kocaeli will be closed Dec. 12-17, and from Jan. 2-7. due to lower demand in the sector, said Karacan, who is the president of Turkey's petroleum, chemical and tire union.

He said that production at the factories had decreased 30 percent to 60 percent. No one at the company was immediately available to comment. (Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Goodyear Dunlop cuts 147 jobs in western New York

The Buffalo News, December 1, 2008

TONAWANDA, N.Y. - Union officials say Goodyear Dunlop has cut 147 jobs at its western New York plant because of a slowdown in tire sales.

The company announced plans to reduce its Tonawanda workforce in October, saying it was decreasing production of passenger auto tires and commercial truck tires amid declining demand by the auto industry.

United Steelworkers of America Local 135 says 52 workers took buyouts and 95 workers were laid off Monday.

Production of motorcycle tires was not affected.

Fourth Asia-Pacific Goodyear Rubber Workers' Network Meets in Jakarta, Indonesia

ICEM, November 3

 

The fourth regional meeting of the Asia-Pacific Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Workers’ Network was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 28 October, with 20 delegates from five Asian nations attending. Previous Goodyear Asia-Pacific network meetings were held in Manila, Philippines, in 2005; Singapore in 2002; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2000.

“The continuity of our regional network activity since 2000 shows the commitment of participating unions for international solidarity and cooperation, which gives us high hopes for the future,” stated Toshiaki Hojo, President of the Japanese Rubber Workers’ Union Confederation (GOMU-RENGO). “It is very important to carry out our activities in parallel with ICEM’s Goodyear Global Union Network.”

Hojo added that the Asia-Pacific Workers’ Network of the American company has worked successfully on health and safety issues, and pledged to do more on this issue.

Delegates evaluated past activities of the Goodyear Global and Asia-Pacific Region networks, and the meeting received a detailed report on Goodyear’s financial situation and the labour relations of a company that employs 70,000 workers in 60 factories, operating in 25 countries. Delegates on 28 October identified specific situations in their plants by giving current figures on salaries, working hours, and collective bargaining developments.

Health and safety was handled in a separate session, in which past histories were summarized by ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal Özkan. Following, specific health and safety problems were put forward, and the importance of information exchange was highlighted. The ICEM was requested to provide some information on global standards, specifically on heat limits and safety glasses.

After discussing the ICEM’s 2009 World Conference for the Rubber Industries and other industry conferences to occur next year, the meeting decided – through an action plan – to escalate targeting of joint organising efforts, to focus on training and education programmes, as well as to engage in regular and detailed information exchange through electronic means.

The 2008 regional network meeting also adopted a special announcement toward further action for reinstatement of Thai and Malaysian colleagues, workers who have been unjustly fired by the company.

Goodyear Dunlop plant will try buyouts before layoffs

Associated Press, October 31

 

Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America’s Town of Tonawanda plant will first offer buyouts to hourly workers in its push to reduce its work force by as many as 150 hourly positions.

The company is presenting details of the buyout packages to employees and will give them about two weeks to decide whether to sign up for them, said Diane Zwirecki, a spokeswoman at the Sheridan Drive tire plant. Details of the packages were not disclosed.

If necessary, the plant would then turn to voluntary layoffs to trim its work force. The final step, also if necessary, would be to make involuntary layoffs beginning Dec. 1. Laid-off workers would be eligible to be called back, Zwirecki said.

The plant is reducing its work force as it scales back production of passenger auto tires and commercial truck tires, in response to a slowdown in vehicle sales, Zwirecki said.

Starting Dec. 1, production of those types of tires will be reduced to five days a week at the plant from the current seven-day-a-week schedule.

The plant also makes motorcycle tires, including for Harley-Davidson, but that business segment is unaffected, she said.

The plant has about 1,100 hourly workers, who are represented by the United Steelworkers of America, and about 150 salaried workers. An additional 50 salaried employees work at Goodyear Dunlop’s offices in Amherst.

The plant produces about 5,500 passenger auto tires a day and about 4,700 motorcycle tires a day. It makes about 2,000 commercial truck tires a day.

Earlier this week, a Steelworkers official said the plant has not had layoffs since 1979.

In 2006, the Steelworkers went on strike against Goodyear- affiliated plants in Tonawanda and elsewhere in the United States for about three months. The workers ended up approving a three-year contract.

Goodyear to close for week

The Fayetteville Observer, October 21

 

Goodyear is taking another weeklong break from making tires in Fayetteville.

That means that workers will again have to draw unemployment benefits for a time.

Production at the Ramsey Street plant will be put on pause from Saturday through Nov. 1, said plant spokesman Richard Evans.

The reason, Evans said, is to “align production with reduced customer demand.”

That’s the same reason Goodyear officials gave for a two-week halt in Fayetteville in August, which followed a one-week halt in July.

So this will be the fourth week that the plant will sit idle this year — a year in which motorists have been driving fewer miles and therefore putting less wear on their tires.

A corporate Goodyear spokeswoman could not be reached for comment Monday.

But the trade publication Modern Tire Dealer reported Friday that in addition to the Fayetteville plant, Goodyear facilities in Union City, Tenn., and Gadsen, Ala., would halt production during the last week in October. The publication also reported that Goodyear’s Lawton, Okla., plant will take off four Sundays in a row.

Goodyear employs about 3,000 people and is Cumberland County’s largest corporate tax payer with a total tax bill of $1.6million last year.

Fayetteville employees who will stay home during the weeklong halt will be eligible for unemployment benefits during that time, said Daryl Jackson, president of United Steelworkers Local 959. But it won’t match what a typical Goodyear employee earns.

Still, Jackson said, “if you look around and you see what’s going on with layoffs, we’re fortunate. As it stands, we’re just going to be off that last week in October and possibly a week around Christmas, although there’s no definite answer on (December).”

Officials with Goodyear and the union say the production halts shouldn’t be seen as a precursor to layoffs.

Jackson said he has heard some recent break-room buzz about job cuts. But to his knowledge, there is no truth to any of the rumors.

“Part of the reason for taking time out is so that (Goodyear) won’t have to lay anybody off,” Jackson said.

Evans, the company spokesman, said: “Goodyear monitors the market every week and makes adjustments when needed. And no, there have been no announcements other than the one week in October.

But he added: “Who can speculate within this economy?”

He could not address any later production halts.

Beyond the what is planned for next week, Evans said, “there are no additional announcements from Goodyear.”

Jackson said the automotive industry, like the housing market, is hurting. That obviously affects the plants that feed the market.

“Every time you pick up the newspaper or listen to the news, there’s another plant shutting down,” Jackson said.

He mentioned Georgia Pacific’s recent announcement that it would “indefinitely idle” its lumber plant in Columbus County, where 350 people work.

“We’re very fortunate to be in the situation that we are in,” Jackson said.

“We are still in bad economic times, but it’s going to get better,” he said. “I believe help is on the way.”

GOODYEAR-DUNLOP AMIENS MANAGEMENT SEES CASE REJECTED

Le Figaro, September 18

The Amiens magistrates' court has thrown out a case brought by the management of US tyre manufacturer Goodyear-Dunlop, which had asked that the court annul a request for an expert opinion on the consequences of the company's restructuring plan at its French factory in Amiens.

According to trade union CGT, the decision will call the plan into question. The company's management acknowledged that the ruling will delay the implementation of its plans to reduce production at the factory.

 

Goodyear to cut European truck tire production

COLMAR-BERG, Luxembourg (Sept. 5, 2008) — Goodyear said it will cut truck tire production considerably at its European factories through the end of the year because of declining European demand for truck tires and subsequent build-up of stocks.

Most affected will be Goodyear’s plant in Colmar-Berg, where production is being scaled back starting the week of Sept. 7 to six days a week and the Christmas break extended to 10 days, Goodyear said.

Earthmover tire production at the Luxembourg plant, which employs 1,300 in tire manufacturing, will not be affected, the tire maker said.

Besides at Colmar-Berg, Goodyear makes truck tires in Europe at plants in Hanau and Wittlich, Germany; Debica, Poland; Montlucon, France; and Kranj, Slovenia. The company did not release specifics of the cutbacks at these plants nor quantify by how much production is being reduced.

“Our immediate concern lies with our employees directly affected by this necessary decision,” said John Jentgen, director of manufacturing at Luxembourg. “Along with our social partners, we have developed an action plan preventing any layoffs of Goodyear workers.

“Our staff is nonetheless required to take their remaining vacation on the production-free days before any measures of reduced working hours can be implemented.”

In its half-year financial report Goodyear reported 22-percent higher operating income in its Europe, Middle East and Africa tire unit on 15.3-percent higher sales, although it said unit sales volume was down 5 percent during the second quarter and 2.8 percent during the first half.

Goodyear closing stores

Reuters, August 20, 2008

Goodyear Tire & Rubber said it would close 12 per cent, or 92, of its company-owned U.S. stores and cut 600 full- and part-time jobs as the U.S. economic downturn put more pressure on the company.

The company owns 742 stores in the United States.

Goodyear, the largest tire maker in the U.S. by sales, said it would take after-tax charges of about $30 million in connection with the closings, half of which would be recorded in the third quarter. The company said the closings would enable it to eliminate $9 million in annual losses.

In July, Goodyear said it was confident it would be able to navigate the near-term economic challenges, especially in North America. At that time, it said second-quarter net income rose to $75 million, or 31 cents per share, from $56 million a year earlier.

Goodyear shuts down Fayetteville plant for two weeks

WRAL.com, August 16, 2008

 

Goodyear plans to close its Fayetteville plant for two weeks as part of a nationwide effort to let demand catch up to supply.

Nearly 3,000 employees became out of work when the plant shut down at 1 p.m. Saturday, said Daryll Jackson, president of the Steelworkers Union Local 959. The plant normally produces around 30,000 tires a day.

Employees were encouraged to schedule vacation around the shutdown and will be eligible for unemployment benefits during the second week, Jackson said.

Jackson said about 70 percent of Goodyear's plants across the United States will be involved in the shutdown.

The tire manufacturer is letting plants idle, because high fuel prices and broader economic troubles have dampened demand, he said.

Goodyear recently reported that its domestic sales fell 6 percent in the second quarter of 2008.

The company might do another weeklong round of inventory reduction around Christmas if sales do not improve, Jackson said.

Goodyear is eligible for $24 million in economic incentives over the next 10 years as part of a package passed during a special session of the state Legislature in September 2007.

To receive the incentives, Goodyear must have at least 2,000 workers, invest $200 million over a six-year period and maintain average wages that are 40 percent higher than the local average to qualify. The company loses a portion of annual grant as its overall employments falls. If employment slips by 20 percent, Goodyear would lose its entire grant.

 

Goodyear Union Notified Of Another Layoff

Tyler Morning Telegraph, July 23, 2008

Workers at Tyler's Goodyear plant were notified on Tuesday of another
impending layoff.

Harold Sweat, president of United Steelworkers Local 746L, said the
layoff will occur Sept. 22-Oct. 6 and include about 70 people.

Goodyear referred to the layoffs as "permanent separation."

The company issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification
(WARN) Act notice of the layoffs, and the notice also contained a phrase
saying the plant "will be permanently closed," Sweat said.

"After many months of thorough review, Goodyear has decided to close the
entire Tyler plant," Sweat read from the notice.

This will leave the plant with about 25 to 30 people, he said.

The union and the company have agreed that some workers will stay on for
a longer period of time after this layoff. Sweat said the ones remaining
will work through a phase of the plant's closure. He said the company
has not provided the union with a list of jobs they will perform.

Tuesday's announcement was the second such WARN act notice received by
the plant in less than two months.

On June 6, Goodyear notified the union that about 110 people would be
laid off in August. Sweat said that layoff has been set for Aug. 8. He
said workers and their spouses will attend meetings in the plant on
Thursday to get details about benefits and compensation packages.

Workers released in this layoff, the just-announced September-October
layoff and an ultimate plant closure will be covered by the compensation
package in the Goodyear proposal that the union ratified on Friday.

Sweat said 94 percent of the members voting cast their vote for
ratification.

The master union contract stipulated the plant be kept open until the
contract expires, in July 2009, but the union's ratification of the
company's proposal gave Goodyear the right to close it early.

Efforts to reach the company on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

During the last contract negotiations between the company and the USW,
the union struggled to keep the Tyler plant open, and the three-year
master contract guaranteed the Tyler plant would be kept open through
Dec. 31, 2007.

The company, however, ceased tire production there, reduced the plant's
employee base by several hundred people and retained the plant as a
rubber-mixing operation.

Amy Brei, Goodyear manager of manufacturing communications, last week
said that a date for plant closure had not been set.

She said the company was seeking to close the plant early because of a
decrease in the requirement for rubber mixed in Tyler. Goodyear stock
closed up $1.49 to settle at $20.02 on Tuesday.

Workers at Goodyear Ratify Contract to Close Plant Early

CBS19.tv, July 18, 2008

UNION MEMBERS VOTE TODAY TO RATIFY THEIR CONTRACT WITH GOODYEAR SO THE TIRE GIANT CAN SHUT DOWN TYLER'S PLANT EARLIER THAN EXPECTED.

CBS 19'S MICHELE REESE JOINS US WITH THE RESULTS.

DURING THREE DIFFERENT VOTING MEETINGS TODAY... UNION MEMBERS VOTED TO ACCEPT GOODYEAR'S PROPOSAL TO SHUT THE PLANT DOWN EARLY......

WORKERS WE SPOKE WITH ....SAY WHILE IT WAS A TOUGH DECISION...GOODYEAR MADE A DEAL THAT WAS TOUGH TO PASS UP.

AT 7 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING...

"Its a real sad feeling."

WORKERS LIKE KEITH GOODMAN...FILED IN TO THE LOCAL STEELWORKERS UNION HALL TO VOTE TO CLOSE A PLANT..SO MANY FOUGHT SO HARD TO SAVE...

"Spending so many years in a place and to go out is a disappointing feeling."

"It's hard for me to let go.."

MARCUS HOWARD SAYS WHILE IT'S DIFFICULT CHECKING YES ON THE BALLOT...

AFTER HEARING GOODYEAR'S DEAL... IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO SAY NO...

"It was sweet. Can't turn that down.It would be stupid to vote no."

MOST OTHER WORKERS AGREED..

"They say here and told us they were gonna close it down so I voted yes if we voted no we might come up empty handed."

"It was a real good deal.. Some people benefited better than others but we got all in all with the unions help negotiating everybody got a real good package out of it."

THE DEAL INCLUDES A PAYMENT FOR EACH YEAR OF SERVICE TO THE PLANT...

....AND WILL BE PAID IN A LUMP SUM.

"They had to buy us off and they did a good job..they opened up their checkbook."

"Probably the best way to get out of here so people can get on with their lives.."

SO AS UNION MEMBERS SAY "Goodbye to Goodyear.."

TYLER'S DREAMS OF KEEPING THE TIRE PLANT OPEN ARE DEFLATED...FOR GOOD.

WHEN THE PLANT WILL CLOSE FOR GOOD IS STILL UP THE AIR..

UNION PRESIDENT HAROLD SWEAT SAYS TODAYS VOTE GIVES GOODYEAR THE CHANCE TO CLOSE THE PLANT AS EARLY AS TOMORROW IF THEY WANT..

BUT GOODYEAR HAS STILL NOT GIVEN AN OFFICIAL CLOSURE DATE..

 

GOODYEAR-DUNLOP TO MAKE 402 JOB CUTS IN AMIENS

Les Echos, July 16, 2008

The management of US tyre manufacturer Goodyear-Dunlop has confirmed plans to axe 402 jobs at its plant in Amiens, France after trade union CGT exercised its right to oppose an agreement on the planned restructuring of working time at the factory.

Chairman and CEO Olivier Rousseau said CGT's rejection of the agreement, which was signed by only two unions, left the management with no choice but to reduce the site's output by 38 per cent. The job cuts will become effective in September.

Goodyear Employees Will Vote Friday on Proposal for Early Plant Closure

Tyler Paper, July 15, 2008

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. may close its Tyler plant prior to the expiration of the master union contract, thus releasing about 60 remaining employees early, if the local union membership votes to ratify an agreement for closure.Amy Brei, Goodyear manager of manufacturing communications, said the company seeks to close the plant because of a lack of demand for rubber.“The reason is there is decreased demand from our North American tire plants, which is where the rubber in our Tyler plant went, so the additional mixing capacity is no longer needed,” Ms. Brei said.Harold Sweat, United Steelworkers Local 746L president, said employees on each shift will vote Friday on the proposal when their shift is over.

“We will probably know (the vote results) as soon as that last meeting’s over, and I will have to contact our union staff representative and make him aware of the vote outcome,” Sweat said.

The union president said he did not want to comment on the proposal’s compensation package until he meets with the membership.

“Goodyear made an offer to the union to close the plant early, and the details of that agreement will be presented to the membership on Friday,” Sweat said. “They will vote on it, and if they accept it, the company will have the right to close the plant early.”

Ms. Brei said she was not made aware of the proposed compensation terms, and the company has a policy of not providing that type of information.All Goodyear tire plants have mixing capability. The Tyler plant and a plant in Valleyfield, Quebec, supply additional mixing capability, she said. Ms. Brei said the company does not have plans to close the Valleyfield facility.

The United Steelworkers’ master contract, which expires in July 2009, requires the company to shut down its Valleyfield, Quebec, plant before it closes the Tyler plant, but Ms. Brei said USW Local 746L ratification of the closure would remove that provision.

The closing would impact approximately 60 positions, which is in addition to a previously announced reduction of 110 positions that was to take effect in August.
Goodyear, in a statement, referred to the Tyler operation as a “rubber-mixing facility,” which it has been since January.

During the last contract negotiations between the company and the USW, the union struggled to keep the Tyler plant open, and the three-year master contract guaranteed the Tyler plant would be kept open through Dec. 31, 2007.

The company, however, ceased tire production there, reduced the plant’s employee base by several hundred people and retained the plant as a rubber-mixing operation.

Ms. Brei said the company has not decided if it will retain or sell the land and buildings, on Texas Highway 31 West, if the mixing operation is closed.

“There are no plans yet, one way or the other, for this facility,” she said.

Message from Sindicato de Trabajadores n°1 Goodyear de Chile

estimados compañeros:
 
es un honor recibir noticias globales de lo que pasa con los trabajadores de la compañia goodyear, en este lejano pais que es chile.
 
los trabajadores de goodyear en chile, hemos sido favorecidos con una inversion cercana a los 400 millones de dolares para dotar la planta con tecnologia de punta lo cual dara una alta estabilidad a los trabajadores que puedan adaptarse a estos cambios tecnologicos, pero a aquellos que no puedan adaptarse ( trabajadores antiguos)tendremos que buscarle una salida digna por todo el esfuerzo desplegado durante sus años de  sacrificio, como siempre lo ha hecho este historico sindicato que tiene a su haber 61 años de vida.
 
fuerza a los trabajadores franceses y que decidan lo mejor para ellos y sus familias, estamos con uds. para lo que estimen pertinente.
 
saludos
 
sindicato de trabajadores n°1 goodyear de chile

UNIONS DIVIDED OVER SHIFT PLAN AT FRENCH GOODYEAR SITE

Les Echos, July 9, 2008

At the French Amiens site of US tyre manufacturer Goodyear, the deadline set by management for unions to sign an agreement regarding a planned 4x8 shift pattern passed yesterday without the green light from the two main unions at the site, SUD and CGT. This gives rise to the risk of an escalation in the tense mood at the site, where management has been forced to suspend production since the week-end owing to violent incidents. The blockade by striking workers continued yesterday in spite of a court injunction ordering that it be lifted.

According to a bailiff's report submitted by unions, the vote on June 27, at which a 73-per-cent vote was obtained in favour of the new shift working plan, was beset by irregularities. This is expected to aggravate the rift between, on one hand, the unions CFE-CGC and CFTC, which gave their seal of approval to the plan, and, on the other, CGT, Force Ouvriere and SUD. While CGT, the main union at the site, has announced its intention to exercise its right to oppose, CFTC has said that there is no alternative, and that the 4x8 shift pattern would be preferable to job losses.

 

 

EMPLOYEES AT AMIENS VOTE FOR CHANGE IN SHIFT ROTATIONS

Le Figaro, June 28, 2008

Employees at the Goodyear-Dunlop site in Amiens, France, have voted in favour of a new, '4x8' shift pattern. Managers had announced that if the plans for the new rotation were rejected, they would cut 402 jobs and reduce investment in the site.

In an earlier vote a few weeks ago, staff had rejected the 4x8 pattern. The CGT union, which called on its members to boycott the vote, says that the majority of employees are against the change.

 

 

Goodyear factory to close with loss of 600 jobs

The Age, June 26, 2008

Cheap foreign imports have been blamed for the closure of a Melbourne tyre factory with the loss of almost 600 jobs.

In another blow for Australia's struggling automotive industry, South Pacific Tyres (SPT), based at Somerton, north of Melbourne, will shut its doors on December 31.

Chief executive Judith Swales said the factory had become unviable and could not compete with imports when production costs overseas were up to six times cheaper.

She admitted that parent company Goodyear had imported cheaper products from China and other markets, but said SPT could not keep going because consumer needs had changed.

Rival tyre producer Bridgestone said the move would leave it as the only tyre manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand.

Ms Swales said a lack of cost competitiveness was a key factor in not proceeding with a $150 million upgrade of the SPT site.

"Given the cost, the magnitude of an upgrade that we would need to put in place, we don't have the volume, the capacity, in this market," she told reporters in Melbourne.

In a statement issued by Goodyear from its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, chairman and chief executive Robert Keegan said closing the SPT plant would save Goodyear about $36.5 million a year.

Many employees hit by the decision have young families and mortgages. Others have been with the company for 30 years and could struggle to find other work.

Alf Chetcuti, who has worked for the company for 20 years, said the closure would hit workers when they went home to their families.

"That's when it hits you that at the end of year, you will be out of a job," said Mr Chetcuti, 38, who has two children aged seven and nine months.

Phil Brilliant, 52, who has been with the company for 30 years, said: "It's a kick in the teeth, I'm really disappointed".

Union leaders called on the federal government to act urgently to save Australia's auto manufacturing industry.

SPT's demise follows the announcement earlier this month that more than 531 jobs would go at Holden's Fisherman's Bend plant in Melbourne next year.

It also comes after Ford last year announced it would axe up to 600 jobs at its Geelong plant from 2010.

Holden axed 600 jobs in Adelaide last year and Mitsubishi cut 100 jobs in Adelaide in February.

National Union of Workers (NUW) Victorian secretary Antony Thow said a major review of the Australian car industry - headed by former Victorian premier Steve Bracks - was welcome, but the federal government needed to do more.

Mr Thow said Goodyear had moved prematurely in announcing the closure before the Bracks review.

"It's very important we support manufacturing workers. They're highly paid, highly skilled jobs," he told Sky News.

Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr said the closure was a sign of the challenges facing the Australian car industry.

"This is exactly why we are running an extensive review of the industry, being conducted by Steve Bracks, to establish the right policies to ensure a stable future for automotive manufacturing in this country," he said.

SPT said all employee entitlements would be honoured under their enterprise bargaining agreement.

Under the collective agreement, employees would on average receive 18 months' pay, said plant manager Gary Rowley.

Goodyear has about 70,000 employees in more than 60 factories in 26 countries.

Turkey's 14-Day Rubber Strike Ends with 14% First year Wage Gain

ICEM InBrief, June 16, 2008

A 14-day tyre strike by 4,000 members of ICEM affiliate Lastik-İş in Turkey ended Friday night, 13 June, and workers at three multinational rubber companies were back on their jobs for the afternoon shift on 14 June.

The strike ended when a two-year accord was reached between the union and the three employers, who jointly represent the tyre industry in talks. The companies include Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Bridgestone Brisa Sabanci, and Pirelli.

The 13 June bargaining was the first set of negotiations since the strike began on 31 May. Talks first began on a renewal labour agreement for 2008-2009 at the four tyre factories in September 2007.

The two sides agreed to a 14% pay increase for the year 2008, and an increase equaling the Turkish rate of inflation for 2009. In 2007, the Turkish rate of inflation was 8.39% and is expected to rise above that this year. Lastik-İş had sought a 12% wage hike for the first six months of 2008, with increases matching the inflation rate in each six-month period through 2009.

All levels of social benefits will also increase by the inflation rate over the life of the labour agreement. The ICEM considers the 2008-2009 Turkish rubber agreement a major achievement, considering wage and social benefit gains were stymied in the late 1990s and early years of this decade due to strike bans imposed by the Turkish government.

“We didn’t make any concessions, we preserved our contractual and work-rule provisions, and we posted substantial economic gains,” stated Lastik-İş President Abdullah Karacan. “The decisiveness of our union members at these four factories was effective and ultimately proved successful in bargaining.”

The four tyre plants, which saw workers return to work at 16h00 on 14 June, include: two of US-based Goodyear in Izmit and Adapazari, and one each operated by Bridgestone Brisa Sabanci, a joint venture between Japan-based Bridgestone and the Turkish Sabanci Group, and by Italian-based Pirelli. Both of the latter two are located in the city of Izmit.

 

Goodyear Announces 110 More Layoffs in Tyler

Tyler Morning Telegraph, June 12, 2008

Goodyear has announced to the United Steelworkers Union that it will lay
off about 110 people - about two-thirds - of the workforce remaining at
its Tyler plant between Aug. 6 and Aug. 19.

A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice sent
to the union stated the "permanent mass layoff has been necessitated by
a lack of work at the plant."

Amy Brei, Goodyear spokeswoman, said about 60 employees will be left.

"There has been a decrease in the requirements needed for that rubber
from Tyler," Ms. Brei said of the Tyler plant, which retained its mixing
operation after a mass layoff at the end of last year.

During the last contract negotiations between the company and the USW,
the union struggled to keep the Tyler plant open, and the three-year
master contract guaranteed the Tyler plant would be kept open through
Dec. 31, 2007.

The company, however, ceased tire production there, reduced the plant's
employee base by several hundred and retained the plant as a
rubber-mixing operation.

"I feel like this is a further reduction toward the total closure of the
plant," USW Local President Harold Sweat said Thursday.

The union's master contract, which expires in July 2009, requires the
company to shut down the Canadian Valleyfield plant before it closes the
Tyler plant, Sweat said.

Husband of woman killed in plant blast criticizes managers

AP Wire, June 12, 2008

A Goodyear retiree whose wife was found dead at the company's plant
hours after an early morning explosion said Wednesday rescue workers
should have searched sooner and more thoroughly for her.

The body of Gloria McInnis, 55, a production supervisor at the plant,
was found under debris about seven hours after the 7:30 a.m. blast in a
heat exchange unit at the plant, said Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman.

Her husband, Raymond McInnis, who worked at the plant for 38 years,
questioned the methods used by plant officials to find his wife's body.

"They let her lay there seven hours," McInnis told the Houston
Chronicle. "Was she dead at the time (of the explosion), or did she die
later?"

Baughman did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press
seeking comment on McInnis's complaints, but he told the Chronicle,
"Those are some of the issues we're looking into this morning."

Gloria McInnis had been a Goodyear employee for 32 years. Her husband,
71, retired 12 years ago.

Six others were injured during the incident. Five other workers were
treated and released for injuries after the incident and a sixth was
being held for observation.

The explosion also caused a small release of ammonia, which is used as a
refrigerant to cool processed liquids.

The six injured were treated on-site by the plant's medical team before
being transferred to local hospitals. Baughman said the damage and small
ammonia spill were contained in a small area of the plant, which makes
synthetic rubber for the production of tires.

The plant was evacuated for several hours after the explosion. About 200
people were in the plant at the time.

There was no danger to the public, plant officials said.

The plant was given an "all-clear" around 11 a.m., when employees were
allowed back in to the facility.

Plant officials were investigating the cause of the explosion and trying
to determine how much ammonia was spilled.

Worker killed, 6 hurt in Houston plant explosion

AP Wire, June 12, 2008

A chemical plant worker was killed and six others injured during an early morning explosion and ammonia leak Wednesday at the Goodyear Houston plant.

The body of the worker, whose name was not released, was found under debris about seven hours after the 7:30 a.m. blast in a heat exchange unit at the plant, said Goodyear spokesman Scott Baughman.

Five of the workers have been treated and released and a sixth was being held for observation.

The explosion also caused a small release of ammonia, which is used as a refrigerant to cool processed liquids.

The six injured were treated on-site by the plant's medical team before being transferred to local hospitals. Baughman said the damage and small ammonia spill were contained in a small area of the plant, which makes synthetic rubber for the production of tires.

The plant was evacuated for several hours after the explosion. About 200 people were in the plant at the time.

There was no danger to the public, plant officials said.

The plant was given an "all-clear" around 11 a.m., when employees were allowed back in to the facility. The area near the explosion remained closed, Baughman said.

The blast happened in one of the plant's three heat exchanging units, which are about 2 feet wide and 15 feet long. The units use ammonia, Baughman said.

Plant officials were investigating the cause of the explosion and trying to determine how much ammonia was spilled.

News from the Slovenian KNG

Workers at the Goodyear-owned Sava Tire in Slovenia are becoming increasingly frustrated with contract negotiations. The union is being told that inventory is high and second quarter sales are way down. The company says it is looking to lower cost 150 million Euros, about the same amount of money needed to build another plant in Russia. The Slovenia workers are asking why the need for so many cuts in light of the company's global profits and why build a new factory with an already filled market.

4,000 Turkish Rubber Workers Strike Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Pirelli

ICEM InBrief, June 2, 2008

ICEM Turkish trade union affiliate Lastik-İş made good on its 8 May strike notice by calling 4,000 tyre manufacturing workers out at four factories, operated by three multinational tyre companies. The strikes began late on Saturday, 31 May.

Negotiations continued until the early morning hours of that day, with the employers' association offering last-minute wage and social payment proposals to avert strikes. Those offers were presented to rank-and-file members of Lastik-İş, but were rejected by an accumulative 80% vote.

The strikes then began at factories of Bridgestone Brisa Sabanci and Pirelli, and two plants operated and majority- owned by US-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The four tyre plants are in the Turkish cities of Izmit and Adapazari. The union and management association has been negotiating since September 2007 on a new labour agreement.

"The decision to strike was taken by workers and I believe we shall overcome the employers' intransigence," said Lastik-İş President Abdullah Karacan. "The salary offer made by employers is far from meeting the work performed by tyre workers. Our decisiveness for gaining our demands is resolute."

The union is seeking a 12% wage increase for the first six-month period of a two-year labour agreement, and the Turkish rate of inflation for each six-month period thereafter. The tyre companies are resisting inflation-rate payments for the three six-month periods. The two sides differ also on various social payments customary in Turkish work schemes.

All agenda items within the 59-article labour contract, save for the wage and social payment items, have been agreed upon by the two sides.

Goodyear operates an auto, light truck, bus, and heavy equipment tyre plant in Adapazari, employing 800 rubber workers, and a truck, bus, and agriculture tyre plant in Izmit, where 500 workers are employed. Bridgestone Brisa Sabanci, jointly owned by Japanese-based Bridgestone and Sabanci Group of Turkey, manufactures auto, truck, and heavy equipment tyres in Izmit, employing 1,500, while Italian-based Pirelli has another auto and truck tyre plant in Izmit, in which 1,200 workers are employed.

U.S. Goodyear mulls Russia tyre plant

Reuters, May 19, 2008

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (GT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to
build a factory in Russia costing between $200 million and $250 million,
the Kommersant business daily reported on Monday.

The plant will be built in the Yavroslav region, a five hour drive north
of Moscow, and will produce around 5 million tyres a year, Russian state
officials told Kommersant without giving a timeframe.

The newspaper said the project might conflict with plans of Russian
petrochemical group Sibur, which controls an existing tyre plant in the
region.

Sibur, controlled by Gazprom's (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research)
banking arm Gazprombank, might seek to create a joint venture with the
U.S. company on the basis of the existing plant, the newspaper said.

Sibur had no immediate comment.

Goodyear has been looking to invest outside its core markets in North
America and Europe because a slowing economy has dented demand.

Tire workers set to strike on May 31

Today's Zaman, May 19, 2008

The Turkish Petroleum, Chemicals and Tire Workers Union (Lastik-İş), which operates within the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DİSK), has decided to go strike from May 31.

Lastik-İş President Abdullah Karacan told the Anatolia news agency yesterday that collective bargaining on behalf of approximately 4,000 workers at four tire production facilities belonging to Brisa, Pirelli and Goodyear had ended in dispute and that strike notices had been displayed at the factories on May 8.

The employers offered new contracts on Dec. 28, 2007, and collective bargaining between the union and employers began in the first week of January.

Goodyear rolls out hiring opportunities

Topeka Capital-Journal, May 15, 2008

Amid a slow economy, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. put out the word it is hiring.

In recent days, the company's Topeka manufacturing facility advertised for applicants over the radio, in print ads, direct mailings and at a job fair.

Goodyear human resources specialist Heather McMurphey helps Jeffery Garrett, of Burlington, determine where he will need to go for the next part of the application process after he passed the first online screening during Wednesday's job fair.

Select International staffing manager Kay Krueger helps Darel Jackson with his online application for employment during Topeka Goodyear's job fair Wednesday.

The Topeka plant has three major production areas — mixing, truck radial tire and off-the-road. OTR recently added a fourth shift. The other two already had been running four shifts.

But as hundreds of job seekers came to Wednesday's job fair at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, the tire maker wasn't saying how many people it would add to the payroll.

About the only thing definite Goodyear would say is it added a fourth shift for its off-the-road department in the first quarter of the year. The fourth shift isn't fully staffed yet, said Lisa Spangler-Ignoto, spokeswoman for Goodyear. Demand for OTR tires is strong, especially in the mining sector.

Another reason for vacancies is a significant number of employees are retiring this year. In fact, at least 23 people retired in March alone.

"We have been and continue to recruit to fill current vacancies, as well as future vacancies, caused by anticipated retirements and other typical attrition," said Spangler-Ignoto. "In addition to the hourly production and maintenance positions, we also have ongoing recruiting efforts for salary positions, such as engineers, production supervisors and other professional staff."

Spangler-Ignoto declined to be specific about the number of employees Goodyear was hiring this spring. She said Goodyear needs a large applicant pool, which the company pulls from when there are openings. The job fair will help increase the number in the pool.

At the end of April, Goodyear had 1,600 employees in Topeka, with about 1,400 in production and maintenance and about 200 in the offices.

Spangler-Ignoto declined to say whether the new hires would result in a net increase in Goodyear's Topeka employment base.

Calls to the United Steelworkers, which represents production workers at Goodyear, weren't returned Wednesday.

Darel Jackson, owner of Village Lawn & Landscape in Oskaloosa, said he was applying for a job at Goodyear because the economy has gotten tough for independent business owners like himself. He said he has heard a lot of good things about Goodyear.

"This company provides the growth I'm looking for," Jackson said. "It's big enough."

Jackson said high fuel prices have made it difficult to make a profit in the landscaping business.

"Our costs have gone up tremendously," he said. "We're spending $300 to $400 per day on fuel for mowers and trucks."

Mildred Jo Arreola said she previously lived in California but moved to Topeka to help an uncle who was ill. She decided to stay.

"This opportunity came up," she said. "I'll apply. I'm willing to work. I've heard the benefits are good and there are a variety of shifts to work."

Goodyear hired Select International, of Pittsburgh, to advertise and recruit potential candidates.

Kenneth Klinvex, of Select International, said the firm uses an extensive process to screen people for jobs. It starts with an online application. If they pass that, they take a three-hour assessment to see if they are qualified to work in a manufacturing setting. The assessment measures mechanical aptitude, attention to detail and ability to work in teams.

The hiring process also includes an interview and a production exercise to see if the applicant really wants to work in a manufacturing setting, where it is hot and loud with all the machinery and equipment operating almost constantly. Applicants must pass a drug test.

The starting wage is $13.08 per hour. After three years, employees are qualified to bid for jobs that pay $20 to $24 per hour.

Klinvex said many applicants are students who dropped out of college and would prefer a job requiring mechanical skills.

Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, is an international company with 60 percent of its sales coming from overseas.

So far this year, Goodyear profits have improved. The company said it earned $147 million, or 60 cents per share, in the quarter that ended March 31, compared with a loss of $174 million, or 96 cents per share, in the same period in 2007. First-quarter sales rose to $4.94 billion from $4.5 billion a year ago.

Shares of Goodyear (NYSE: GT) were up 53 cents to close at $28.53 on Wednesday. The stock has climbed considerably since it was around $17 per share during the union strike in fall 2006.

 

GOODYEAR AMIENS TO CUT 402 JOBS AT FRENCH PLANT

Les Echos, April 30, 2008

Yesterday, the management of tyre manufacturer Goodyear-Dunlop confirmed that it plans to reduce production in France. This reduction will result in the loss of 402 jobs at its plant in Amiens Nord, in the north of the country. The plan follows the refusal of unions to sign an accord on the reorganisation of duties.

In a communique, Goodyear-Dunlop management has indicated that the plan to reduce production, which will see the production of saloon vehicle tyres reduced by 38 per cent this year, will result in the loss of 402 permanent jobs from September onwards. The plant has a workforce of around 1,400.

 

 

Goodyear wants $200 million expansion at TC Debica plant in Poland

Modern Tire Dealer, February 26, 2008

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is asking Polish tire company TC Debica -- in which it is the majority shareholder -- to nearly triple its commercial tire production for Goodyear, from 1,700 to 5,000 tires per day, to meet the increasing demand for technically advanced, high-quality commercial truck tires in Europe.

Goodyear has had a majority ownership interest in TC Debica, Poland's largest tiremaker, since 1995.

TC Debica's management board will decide whether to make the necessary investment to expand production there. Goodyear estimates that the expansion would require an investment of more than $200 million. The investment, which would likely involve assistance from Polish national and regional authorities, would create 350 to 400 new jobs at TC Debica.

The expansion, if approved, would be made adjacent to the existing factory in Debica, located in southern Poland. TC Debica currently employs 2,500 at the plant.

"This additional capacity would make TC Debica one of our largest suppliers of tires in the world," says Michel Rzonzef, president of Goodyear's Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa countries. "Goodyear, of course, will share the necessary technology and expertise to assure that TC Debica is producing the highest-quality and most advanced commercial truck tires possible."

The majority of the tires currently produced at the plant are sold to Goodyear or Goodyear affiliates, and are sold under the Goodyear, Debica, Dunlop, Fulda and Sava brands.

Previously, TC Debica and Goodyear announced in April 2007 a more limited proposal to increase truck tire production at Debica with an $8.5 million investment. That project is continuing and will be in addition to the expansion plans announced today.

In addition, Goodyear currently produces truck tires at European plants in Luxembourg, Germany and Turkey.

Goodyear cuts 500 French jobs over costs

Businessweek, January 24, 2008

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said Thursday an uncompetitive cost structure will force its European Union business unit to cut 500 jobs and reduce tire production at two factories in Amiens, France.

The company said the move follows an October rejection by employees of Goodyear plans to modernize and renovate the plants. Goodyear employs about 3,800 people in France, of which 2,700 are in the Amiens plants.

"We have communicated extensively with the trade unions, explaining the need for major changes. These changes would increase our competitiveness. Unfortunately, they have rejected the plan to improve competitiveness. Therefore, we have no choice but to reduce our costs as the plants are currently uncompetitive," said Serge Lussier, Goodyear's Europe, Middle East and Africa vice president of manufacturing.

Goodyear said some tire production will be outsourced to lower-cost factories in Europe and elsewhere. Some products will be eliminated.

Lussier said the plan presented in October required investment of about $75 million across the two plants in large part to facilitate the supply of high performance tires. The new required work pattern would have involved four rotating crews working eight-hour shifts, including weekends, for 350 days a year.

 

OSHA cites Goodyear plant for five safety violations

ReliablePlant news wires, January 14, 2008

 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $52,000 in penalties against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for five safety violations discovered during an inspection of the company's manufacturing facility in Social Circle, Ga.

Inspectors cited the plant for two repeat violations and proposed $42,500 in penalties after they determined that management had failed to perform and certify periodic inspections of its energy control procedures and employees were using a production machine that lacked the proper safety guards. The company had been cited for similar failures after an inspection in 2006.

"OSHA expects management to take a proactive approach to employees' safety," said Gei-Thae Breezley, director of the agency's Atlanta-East Area Office. "Dangerous situations can be avoided if management conducts periodic inspections of their equipment and facilities as required by federal law."

OSHA also cited the plant for two serious safety violations with proposed penalties of $8,500 for using defective equipment cords that exposed employees to electrical hazards. An "other-than-serious" violation was proposed with a $1,000 penalty for failing to correctly maintain OSHA logs. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. An other-than-serious violation is a hazardous condition that would probably not cause death or serious physical harm but would have an immediate relationship to the safety and health of employees.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to contest them and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.