| Goodyear bids farewell to 550 |
By: Sabrina Bates, Special to the Messenger
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Posted: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:01 pm
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By SABRINA BATES
Special to The Messenger
Goodyear-Union City is saying good-bye Wednesday to about 550 associates whose service to the company represents 14,300 collective years of experience.
Those words were issued in a recent UC Today, a company newsletter published by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company at its Union City plant. The 550 associates are part of a plant-wide buyout agreement between Goodyear-Union City and its USW Local 878 associates.
Union workers approved the buyout agreement with a 94 percent vote in favor of the proposal offered to the Goodyear associates. The agreement highlights three phases of workforce reductions at the local plant.
Under the first phase of the contract, Goodyear-Union City officials said they would approve the buyout of up to 600 associates with six months or more time of service with the company.
Phase 1 of the plan offered $3,000 for each year of service to Goodyear with no cap. Associates between the ages of 53 to 55 with at least 28 years of service would also be eligible to receive a pension grow-in under Phase 1.
Goodyear-Union City an-nounced an initial ticket reduction earlier this year with plans to move to three eight-hour shifts, five days a week. The traditional schedule goes into effect July 6.
Former USW Local 878 communications director Willis Hicks told The Press in May that the buyout agreement gave the local plant a chance to survive during a harsh economic climate. Hicks retired Friday and Johnny Dyer has been named his successor.
Buyout checks will be given out at the plant Wednesday through Friday. While the bulk of the associates who chose a buyout will exit the plant this week, some workers will be kept at the plant throughout the next few months to provide training for replacement employees.
Under Phase 2 of the buyout agreement, 400 buyouts would be offered at $2,000 for each year of service with no cap.
Phase 3 of the contract states that in the event of an announced plant closure, employees who did not leave during Phases 1 or 2 would have the option of accepting a $25,000 lump sum one-time payment or preferential hire rights, SUB and SIC pays, as well as medical and other benefits according to plant closure provisions of the Pension and Insurance Agreement.
Another worker reduction plan reportedly involves about 30 salaried employees, but communications director Clint Smith was unavailable for comment.
Goodyear and USW are also working this year to negotiate a “master contract” between union associates and the company. Negotiation updates will be posted online at www.goodyearnegotiations.com.
Sabrina Bates is the news editor at The Weakley County Press in Martin.
Published in The Messenger 6.30.09 |
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