Goodyear to close Stow mold making plant in October

AKRON (Aug. 9)—Goodyear will shutter its Stow, Ohio, tire mold manufacturing facility in late October, due to reduced market demand and high operating costs, the Akron tire maker announced Aug. 9. Letters giving a 60-day notice of the shutdown are being distributed today to salaried employees, union officials and community leaders, as outlined by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the company said. In June, Goodyear said it was evaluating the 130,000-sq.-ft. plant's future and strongly hinted closure was the most viable option. Layoffs in Stow, which employs 32 salaried and 120 hourly workers, will begin Oct. 11 with the plant closure occurring about two weeks later. Hourly workers may retire, accept layoff or use seniority rights to enter Goodyear's Akron complex, while salaried employees may choose to retire if eligible or wait to be placed in other positions. The factory opened in 1969.