Last week, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company quietly announced, through a report to investors, that it plans to close two chemical plants this year, one in Texas and the other in Niagara Falls.
The closure caught many in Niagara Falls off guard. The factory, which has long been plagued by controversy, was supposed to install functional pollution control measures by the end of this month. Now, it's closing.
This week on the Disabilities Beat, we look at what happens next for workers inside who had the highest rate of exposure to dangerous chemicals.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript created by an independent contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.
Emyle Watkins:
Hi, I'm Emyle Watkins, and this is the Disabilities Beat.
Renee Kimble:
It's a total disservice to the community, and they should not be allowed to lock its gates, desert the workforce, and just basically try to walk away from its toxic legacy.
Emyle Watkins:
Last week, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company quietly announced, through a report to investors, that it plans to close two chemical plants this year, one in Texas and the other in Niagara Falls. The closure caught many in Niagara Falls off guard. The factory, which has long been plagued by controversy, was supposed to install functional pollution control measures by the end of this month. Now, it's closing.
Renee Kimble, president of the NAACP Niagara Falls branch, who's advocated for the community surrounding the factory shared...
Renee Kimble:
I mean, this is just abhorrent, and I would hope that Goodyear will be held accountable for this.
Emyle Watkins:
BTPM and our partners Public Health Watch and Inside Climate News, first broke the news in 2024 that the plant had been emitting a known bladder carcinogen for 15 plus years with no state intervention. The factory produces a product called Nailax, which is added to tires to keep them from cracking and falling apart. A dangerous carcinogenic chemical called ortho-toluidine, or OT, is used in the process of producing Nailax. The factory has used OT since 1957, and over 78 workers in the factory have been diagnosed with bladder cancer since the 1980s.
Renee Kimble:
They knew over 30 years ago that the emissions from the plant were carcinogenic health hazard concerns and that needed to be controlled, and they basically have just kicked the can down the road and have done absolutely nothing. And the bottom line is that they are not good corporate citizens with this action.
Emyle Watkins:
Following our reporting on the emissions in 2025, state regulators fined the company $5,000 and required permanent pollution controls to be installed by the end of October 2026. In a statement to BTPM, a Goodyear spokesperson shared the company's decision to close the plant follows the sale of most of its chemical business in 2025.
We reached out to the State Department of Environmental Conservation about the plant's closure and next steps, but the agency declined to publicly comment.
As for the workers who have long dealt with the most significant exposures to OT and other chemicals, they are represented by United Steelworkers. USW will be negotiating with Goodyear over what happens next for the approximately 35 current unionized employees as well as the former employees.
David Wasiura:
It's never easy to watch people's livelihoods be ripped out from underneath them. We never, ever, ever forget it and we never move on from it.
Emyle Watkins:
David Wasiura is the District 4 director for USW.
David Wasiura:
It's something you never really want to see. I'm going to get a little emotional about it, but it's very difficult and we'll do what we can for the members.
Emyle Watkins:
USW is beginning to assist workers in finding new jobs, and Wasiura says they're open to requesting the state's help if necessary. The union is also speaking with workers about what they want in the effects bargaining agreement, which is required when a company makes a major change impacting unionized workers.
David Wasiura:
For the people who have really put in countless numbers of hours over their working career to help a corporation profit with their labor, the right thing to do is, A, not close the facility and keep it open, but short of that, making sure that we ease the pain as much as we possibly can, and that Goodyear comes to the table and bargains a fair agreement on the closure of the facility.
Emyle Watkins:
In Goodyear's statement to BTPM, the company shared that they are, quote, "committed to treating all impacted associates with fairness, respect, and transparency while providing comprehensive support during their transition." Wasiura says the agreement could include severance beyond their contract, healthcare, and what the company will be responsible for as far as long-term cancer screening for workers.
David Wasiura:
With the history of safety and health problems that the plant has experienced and our members have seen, we want to make sure that we are covering them really for as long as they need the coverage on cancer screening and things like that.
Emyle Watkins:
Additionally, while this isn't covered in an effects' agreement, Wasiura says they're also invested in what happens to the factory and the land it's on next.
David Wasiura:
I think we have an overall stake in making sure that that facility does the right thing with the land.
Emyle Watkins:
We have more on this story on our website at btpm.org. I'm Emyle Watkins. Thanks for listening.
