Goodyear to close for holidays

AKRON (Oct. 22)—Goodyear plans to close its Akron headquarters and nearby technical centers for a week during the Thanksgiving holiday and two weeks at Christmas and New Year's—mandating that employees with vacation time remaining use it then. The move is being made to "line us up with a lot of our customers and factories—who will be off at that time," give its 3,000 Akron employees a chance to take vacation this year and not lose it, and cut costs, a company spokesman said. Employees have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's off along with the day following each holiday. So the company decided to close its headquarters and technical centers for the remaining nine days in the three-week span. Employees with vacation time remaining will be expected to use it then. Those who have more than nine days left can carry a number into 2004, although the company has a cap on what can be carried over. Employees who have no days left can borrow against next year's vacation package, take some or all of the nine days without pay, or come to work, the spokesman said. "People who need to work can come in. Management knows who needs to be here," he said. The holiday plan doesn't affect schedules at the company's factories.