Sumitomo Tire abruptly closes western New York plant, wiping out 1,550 jobs

Sumitomo tire workers in Tonawanda, New York arrived for their shift last Thursday morning only to see security in tactical gear guarding factory entrances. They learned that the plant was shuttered and all 1,550 jobs had been wiped out without advance notice.

The company had earlier claimed that it had been shut down during the preceding week due to the need to dispose of excess inventory, according to workers who spoke with local media. Sumitomo announced that it is redirecting production to other plants.

The brutal closure of the plant is part of a wave of job cuts, in auto, manufacturing and logistics as corporations seek to boost profits by cutting jobs and slashing costs.

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) requires that in most cases employers give 60-day advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff impacting more than 100 workers. However, a belated closure notice of from Sumitomo management was only sent by email to workers later in the afternoon on the day of the closure.

New York state was informed by the company that workers would be given 60-days’ pay, which is the federal minimum, and their health insurance would be paid for the next year.

In a press release, Sumitomo stated that “despite trying to put cost-cutting measures and efficiency enhancements in place, the viability of the facility, rising costs for materials and logistics, dated infrastructure, intermittent financial performance, and changing market conditions were some of the reasons for the closure.”

Workers, many with decades of seniority at the plant, expressed their outrage and frustration with news of the plant closure on Facebook. One wrote, “They pissed on our backs without the common courtesy of calling it rain.” Another worker said, “When I got the news and the pics of the fence going up I drove by and saw the security officers. I honestly want to sleep until 2030.”

“Just got a letter in the mail saying I’m terminated on 11/11, etc. etc., and not even a ‘thanks for your service,’ a ‘sorry,’ or anything. Then again, what was I expecting from them?” Said a Sumitomo worker on Facebook after the shutdown.