Chuck
10-30-2006, 01:33 PM
One of the biggest employers in Tyler, Texas is Kelly Springfield - owned by Goodyear. They make tires for compacts and employ about 1,100 in a city of 84,000. They just became the latest casuality in Globalization as Goodyear announced they will close. :(
from tylerpaper.com (http://www.tylerpaper.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17395710&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=226369&rfi=6)
Goodyear will close its Tyler plant, a corporate spokesperson told TylerPaper.com this morning.
http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=4000&PAG=461&BRD=1994&LOCALPCT=100&AREA=410&VERT=8249&NAREA=410&barnd=5239 (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/) "We have announced this morning our plant closing," said Ed Markey, Goodyear spokesman.
Those attending a union rally in Tyler Sunday afternoon were told that an announcement would be made Monday that Goodyear intends to close the plant, said Jim Wansley, president of United Steelworkers Local 746L, the union representing the Tyler Goodyear workers.
Wansley said there was a conference call Friday with union bargaining committees from all 12 locations and that is where he heard about Monday's alleged closure announcement. While the announcement is not new since it was part of the package turned down, "it is the first time they will have announced to investors and to the financial community that, 'this is our plan,'" Wansley said.
Those who attended Sunday's rally were also told the company plans to begin the process of bringing in "replacement workers" to locations, including Tyler, to "try and supply critical customers," Wansley said.
On Oct. 5, the United Steelworkers of America began a strike at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants nationwide, refusing to accept a final offer from the company that did not commit to keeping the Tyler plant open for the next three-year contract term.
The final proposal called for keeping the Gadsden, Ala., plant open for three more years. Previously, the company had given neither Gadsden nor Tyler protected status. Sunday's rally in Tyler took place at the local union hall across from the plant and included about 500 to 600 people, Wansley said.
"We all went down by the road and we all chanted, 'We won't break,' and 'We won't cross' so anybody in that plant could hear it," he said. "Our message was loud and clear. This membership understands that we are fighting for that plant.
"We already knew that they wanted to shut us down, and we've already said, 'no.' The only way they are going to shut us down is whup all 12 of us - they're going to have to whup this Steelworker International Union ... It won't happen."
The alleged closure announcement is being seen as an "effort to intimidate our membership," he said. "Our membership today reaffirmed that we will not abandon the strike," Wansley said Sunday. "We will not come back to the table until they're willing to come off their last proposal package, which included closing Tyler ... This move on the part of the company to try to begin the process of bringing in replacement workers and begin the process of announcing plant closures, of which Tyler is the first, is not going to break the union."
He said the steelworker bargaining committee will meet in Pittsburgh, the headquarters of the Steelworkers, on Thursday and "formulate a strategy to take the strike to a new level."
"Not only will this not change our resolve, it will result in us taking the strike to a new level," he said. "Exactly what that means, I can't say yet."
DEVELOPMENTS
The purpose of Sunday's rally was to update its membership on developments concerning the strike.
Members were told that out of 15,000 hourly workers nationwide on strike at 12 locations, less than 150 have crossed the picket line and returned to work as the union enters the fourth week of the strike, Wansley said.
"Although Goodyear, as recently as last week, claimed they did not have any problem supplying tires to these critical customers, now they've had to acknowledge our work stoppage has been so successful that they have to make a decision," he said.
Markey, speaking for Goodyear, said via phone Sunday night that, "We are selectively adding temporary workers at our affected plants to continue serving our customers." Markey said he was not sure when that would begin.
Wansley said his indication is the new workers will not start on Monday in Tyler but will start Monday in some other locations.
"The decision to move to replacement workers and to announce a plant closure is a bad decision," he said. "Bringing unskilled, untrained workers into the plants will do nothing to allow Goodyear to meet its goals. Many of our jobs require months for someone to become well trained and able to produce a quality product."
According to The Associated Press, Markey has said that "among the critical products are items needed by the American military on its war on terror around the globe. The temporary workers will be trained in safety and quality procedures to ensure their seamless addition to our operations."
Markey said Sunday by phone in regard to the strike, that "The lines of communication remain open. We've had dialogue and we're willing to go back and bargain."
Wansley said that, "the only people that they have that can run those plants are us, and we're not going back in there until they give us a contract that we can live with."
Besides plant closures, there are other issues that they are on strike over, he said, including "walking away from health care for future retirees," wage cuts and other issues.
from tylerpaper.com (http://www.tylerpaper.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17395710&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=226369&rfi=6)
Goodyear will close its Tyler plant, a corporate spokesperson told TylerPaper.com this morning.
http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=4000&PAG=461&BRD=1994&LOCALPCT=100&AREA=410&VERT=8249&NAREA=410&barnd=5239 (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/) "We have announced this morning our plant closing," said Ed Markey, Goodyear spokesman.
Those attending a union rally in Tyler Sunday afternoon were told that an announcement would be made Monday that Goodyear intends to close the plant, said Jim Wansley, president of United Steelworkers Local 746L, the union representing the Tyler Goodyear workers.
Wansley said there was a conference call Friday with union bargaining committees from all 12 locations and that is where he heard about Monday's alleged closure announcement. While the announcement is not new since it was part of the package turned down, "it is the first time they will have announced to investors and to the financial community that, 'this is our plan,'" Wansley said.
Those who attended Sunday's rally were also told the company plans to begin the process of bringing in "replacement workers" to locations, including Tyler, to "try and supply critical customers," Wansley said.
On Oct. 5, the United Steelworkers of America began a strike at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants nationwide, refusing to accept a final offer from the company that did not commit to keeping the Tyler plant open for the next three-year contract term.
The final proposal called for keeping the Gadsden, Ala., plant open for three more years. Previously, the company had given neither Gadsden nor Tyler protected status. Sunday's rally in Tyler took place at the local union hall across from the plant and included about 500 to 600 people, Wansley said.
"We all went down by the road and we all chanted, 'We won't break,' and 'We won't cross' so anybody in that plant could hear it," he said. "Our message was loud and clear. This membership understands that we are fighting for that plant.
"We already knew that they wanted to shut us down, and we've already said, 'no.' The only way they are going to shut us down is whup all 12 of us - they're going to have to whup this Steelworker International Union ... It won't happen."
The alleged closure announcement is being seen as an "effort to intimidate our membership," he said. "Our membership today reaffirmed that we will not abandon the strike," Wansley said Sunday. "We will not come back to the table until they're willing to come off their last proposal package, which included closing Tyler ... This move on the part of the company to try to begin the process of bringing in replacement workers and begin the process of announcing plant closures, of which Tyler is the first, is not going to break the union."
He said the steelworker bargaining committee will meet in Pittsburgh, the headquarters of the Steelworkers, on Thursday and "formulate a strategy to take the strike to a new level."
"Not only will this not change our resolve, it will result in us taking the strike to a new level," he said. "Exactly what that means, I can't say yet."
DEVELOPMENTS
The purpose of Sunday's rally was to update its membership on developments concerning the strike.
Members were told that out of 15,000 hourly workers nationwide on strike at 12 locations, less than 150 have crossed the picket line and returned to work as the union enters the fourth week of the strike, Wansley said.
"Although Goodyear, as recently as last week, claimed they did not have any problem supplying tires to these critical customers, now they've had to acknowledge our work stoppage has been so successful that they have to make a decision," he said.
Markey, speaking for Goodyear, said via phone Sunday night that, "We are selectively adding temporary workers at our affected plants to continue serving our customers." Markey said he was not sure when that would begin.
Wansley said his indication is the new workers will not start on Monday in Tyler but will start Monday in some other locations.
"The decision to move to replacement workers and to announce a plant closure is a bad decision," he said. "Bringing unskilled, untrained workers into the plants will do nothing to allow Goodyear to meet its goals. Many of our jobs require months for someone to become well trained and able to produce a quality product."
According to The Associated Press, Markey has said that "among the critical products are items needed by the American military on its war on terror around the globe. The temporary workers will be trained in safety and quality procedures to ensure their seamless addition to our operations."
Markey said Sunday by phone in regard to the strike, that "The lines of communication remain open. We've had dialogue and we're willing to go back and bargain."
Wansley said that, "the only people that they have that can run those plants are us, and we're not going back in there until they give us a contract that we can live with."
Besides plant closures, there are other issues that they are on strike over, he said, including "walking away from health care for future retirees," wage cuts and other issues.