Itās the end of an era in Tonawanda, New York. Afteź¦r 100 years, š®the Sumitomo Rubber Tire Plant has closed, leaving 1,550 workers without a job.
This sudden closure shocked the community, raising questions about what went wrong and what was nextź§ for the people affected.
Letās breašk down why this happened and how the town is rallying to support thosš¦e hit hardest.
- Sumitomo Rubber announced the immediate closure of its 100-year-old tire plant in Tonawanda, NY, which will affect 1,550 union and salaried workers.
- Despite a $140 million investment in recent years, rising costs and market pressures led to financial losses, prompting the closure.
- Local officials, unions, and businesses are trying to provide resources and reemployment opportunities for affected workers.
A Century Comes to an End
After a century of producing tires, the Suą²mitomo Rubber plant in Tonawanda, New York, is closing its doorās for good.
Since opening in 1923, this factory has been a big š§part of the local community, providing jobs for 1,550 people and helping to build the economy.
Sumitomo Rubber, a Japanese company, ź¦fully owned the plant in 2015 after ending a partnership with Goodyear.
Over the years, runniš ng the plant was getting moreš¦© expensive.
Sšumitomo says they couldnāt keep up with rising costs, aging infrastructure, aānd a competitive tire market.
Despite pumping $140 million into upgrades in recent yeš¹ars, including a whopping $129 million just last yšear, the losses kept piling up.
The Japanese parent company decided enš¼ough was enough, pulled the plug, and is now shifting production elsewhere in šits global operations.
The Fallout: Shock, Anger, and Unanswered Questions
When news broke, the reactions wereź¦ filled with shock, anger, and heartbreak.
Employees shared their outrage online, with one worker bluntly summing it up: āThey pissed on our backs without the common courtesy of calling it rain.ā
Another worker said they wished they could sleep through this nightmare until 2030. For most, itās not solely the factšØ that they lost their jobs; it was more so the way it was done.
Local leaders, like Erāie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, didnāt hold back their disappointment either.
He said the decision seemed to come out of nowhere, with no heads-up for state or local officialsšÆ.
And thatās despite the fact that the county had backed Sumitomo over theļæ½ļæ½ years with tax incentives and othź¦er support.
Poloncarz claź¦rified that the company never asked for additional help to stay afloat, leaving everyone blindsided.
And then thereās the union. United Steelworkers Local 135L, whišch represents many of the workers, iš s negotiating severance packages, but theyāre not happy.
Theyāve worked closely with Sumitomo for years, even helping secure investments. Yet they found out about the closź§ure just hours before workers arrived to see bš½arricades at the gates.
Why the Plant Closed
So, why did this plant, with alš¦¹l its historyź¦Æ and hard work, have to close?
According tāo Sumitomo, there were too many problems they couldnāt fix.
Materials were getting more expensive, the factoryās infrastructurš“e was outdated, and the competition in the tire industry kź¦ept getting tougher.
The compašny tried to find a buyer to take over the plant, but no one was interested.
After years of trying to cut costs anā¦d improve efficiency, they ź¦decided they couldnāt keep losing money and closed the factory.
The global tire mš¹arket has been shifting, and many companies are moving production to other countries with lower costs.
While Sumitomo plans to move production to other plants worldwide, the closure in Tonā±awanda will leave a big gap in the lšocal economy.
How Workers and the Community Are Affected
Now, over 1,500 workers have to figure out whatās nešxt.
Many have spent years or even decades working at this plant, and the sudden shutdown leaves them withošut the stabāility theyāve relied on for so long.
For the town of Tonawanda, the plant waš¦s way more than a workplace.
It supporą²ted families, local businesses, and even community events.
Its loss will have a ripple effect, affecting everyone who depends on the jobs and income it proviź§ādes.
šFederal law requires workers to receive 60 days of pay and a year of health insurance, but that doesnātš¦ compensate for the loss of steady jobs.
Many now have to start looking for new work, and thatās not easy in a region where manufacturing jobs have bešen disappearing for years.
What Is Being Done to Help
Even though the closure is tough, local leaders andā businesses are stepping up to help.
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NāØFTA) is already interviewing workers from thź§e plant for open positions.
The New York State šDepartment of Labor has also organized job fairs to connect workers with new opportunities.
Town officials and groups like Workforce Buffalo are also creating resources to make the transition easieš°r.
Theyāve launched a websšite with job listings, trš¦aining programs, and other tools to help workers find new careers.
Tonawandaās town supervisor has promised to do everything possible tš„o keep workers in the region and help them find good-paying jobs.
The focus is not just on finding work but also on making sure these families donāt have to upļ·½root their lives to start over elsewhere.
What This Means for the Future
This closure is clearly part of a bigger trend.
Across industries, companies are closing factories aną²d cutting jobs to save money.
Even though Sumitomo reported recoršd profits in 2024, they still decided to close thešø Tonawanda plant and dissolve their North American operations.
Unfortunately, this isnāt just happšening in Tonawanda.
Other companies, such as Michelin, Stellantis, and even Pepsi, have also been cutting jobs and closing facilities.
Itās a sign of the times, as busišnesses prioritize profits over špeople.
For the Tonawanda community, the closure is a huge š¦challengše.
But the town has always been strong, and peopleź§ š are coming together to support each other.
With local leaders, businesses, and workers all woź¦¦rking hard to move forward, thereās hope āthat Tonawanda will recover and rebuild from this loss.
While the plantās closure marks theš end of an era, it also shows the resilience of the š®people who made it what it was.
They may have lost their jobs, but they havāenāt lost theirā determination to keep going.
