by Shawn Nowlin
There are certain words that no worker ever wants to hear from their employer. Once such example would be, “We are laying off most of our employees, and you are one of them.”
To the surprise of no one who’s been closely following the situation, Salem’s Yokohama Tire Plant at 1500 Indiana Street will be laying off nearly 400 workers in the coming weeks.
Citing decreased demand, among other factors, the company intends to reduce its production in March. In operation since the 1960s, at one point in the mid-1990s, the tire plant employed over 1,000 people.
In a statement, the company said, “The Salem facility is not well equipped to manufacture Yokohama’s required product mix or achieve our manufacturing objectives in the future. In light of rapidly changing customer requirements and dynamic market conditions, the building is outdated and would be too expensive to renovate.”
Virginia abides by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, legislation that requires companies to give at least a 60-day notice for layoffs.
Expressing disappointment, one man who asked for anonymity said, “When hundreds of people rely on a company to support their families and that company lays them off, it sucks. I’ve already started updating my resume for other employment opportunities. Hopefully, I can get hired soon. Bills do not take a break.”
“City officials are still learning more details and working to better understand the scope and timeline of the company’s decision,” Salem’s economic development director, Tommy Miller, said in a statement.
He added, “Our priority is supporting the employees and families who are impacted. In coordination with regional and state partners, we’re focused on making sure those affected can connect to available resources,
