Sudden Closure of Tonawanda Rubber Plant

All 1,550 employees at the Sumitomo Rubber factory in Tonawanda arrived for work Thursday morning to find their jobs had been eliminated, without any warning or discussion. 

As salaried and union employees, the company said in a statement released Thursday it is working with United Steelworkers Union Local 135 to provide severance packages. 

“This difficult decision follows a multi-year analysis of the company's financial situation and general market conditions,” the company said, adding that it had tried to control costs while also making repairs to the facility, but it became unfeasible to do so further. 

The plant has been in operation for 101 years, with Sumitomo taking control in 2015 after its parent company ended a joint venture with Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America. 

There had been some initial concern that the plant’s closure might not have been legal, as it did not appear that the company had filed the required Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) documentation with the state Department of Labor, but the department later confirmed it did receive notification as required by state law for companies about to layoff employees. The department also said it is reviewing the submission. 

According to the Department of Labor’s website, companies are required to file a WARN notification within 90 days prior to a plant closing or mass layoff.

Posted late Thursday afternoon, the WARN letter filed by the company claims 1,524 total employees at the site, of which 1,380 will be affected. 

“As part of this plant closure, 1,380 employees will be separated from the company. Of these, 1,144 employees will be separated on November 11, 2024; 101 employees on November 15, 2024; and 135 employees on February 14, 2025,” the letter says. February 14 is listed as the official closing date. 

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the sudden closing “a complete surprise. It also appears that workers at the facility, including those in management, were unaware that a closure was imminent, at least until late last night, when I was also made aware of the situation. It appears this decision was made by the Japanese owners’ board without any discussion with local and state officials about the possibility of closure. At no point did Sumitomo ask for any additional assistance to remain in operation, despite the fact we have always supported their efforts to succeed here in Erie County with tax incentives and assistance through the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.” 

He went on to say he previously supported a $1.8 million combined sales and property tax incentive for the company in 2021, in addition to a similar $1.2 million tax package in 2017. 

“To the 1,500 employees affected by this harsh foreign corporate decision, we in Erie County government will do all we can to help keep the plant open, and if the closure is indeed permanent, we will work with you in earnest to secure new employment here in the community you call home,” he said. 

The types of jobs at the plant are hard to find in this region and across the country, said Peter DeJesus, president of the Western New York Area Labor Federation. “You had people in there who have been there for a very long time; they’re very dedicated to their work,” he said. “Now you’re going to uproot them, and they’re going to have to find something else.” 

David Wasiura, Steelworkers District 4 director, knows many people won’t be able to find something quite like this job. 

“This is devastating on a lot of levels, first and foremost for our members who work there, and really anybody who’s employed in that facility, on the union and nonunion side. These are the good-paying, family-sustaining jobs that we all search for. Generations of families have sustained through this facility.”