NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — Goodyear Tire and Rubber is closing its plant in Niagara Falls at the end of this month as part of a companywide transformation plan to exit the chemical business.
The Goodyear Drive plant will shut down on October 31 after 80 years of operations. The company has not yet filed a WARN Notice with New York state indicating how many employees will be losing their jobs.
"Following the sale of the majority of its chemical business in 2025, the company has made the decision to fully exit this business to focus on its core products and services," Kelly McGlumphy, Director of Global Eternal Communications said in a statement to 7 News. "As a result, the company will cease operations at its remaining chemical facilities in Pasadena, Texas, and Niagara Falls, New York. We recognize this decision is difficult for those impacted associates. The company is committed to treating all impacted associates with fairness, respect and transparency while providing comprehensive support during their transition."
Goodyear announced in May of last year that it was selling the majority of its chemical business to Gemspring Capital Management, LLC and closing three plants in Texas and Ohio. At the time, the company said the Niagara Falls plant would remain open.
The Falls factory has been at the center of a recent 7 News I-Team investigation for emitting the cancer-causing chemical Ortho-Toluidine at a rate of up to seven times the legal standard, creating a plume over nearby neighborhoods and schools.
Following the I-Team's reporting by Chief Investigator Ed Drantch, the Falls plant was fined $15,000 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The fines were tied to two different violations that pertain to the emission of chemicals from the plant. The financial penalities were part of a consent order signed by plant management and the DEC.
Workers in Niagara Falls are represented by the United Steel Workers.
"Our union will bargain the effects of Goodyear's decision to shut its Niagara Falls facility as we work to support our members and mitigate the impacts of the closure on workers and their families," USW District 4 Director Dave Wasiura said in a statement to 7 News.
