TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Several hundred, now former, workers of Sumitomo Rubber USA gathered at Aqua Lane Park in the Town of Tonawanda Monday morning to support each other and share whatever information they could about the abrupt closure.
"We're still trying to figure out how we're going to navigate with the family and stuff, bills and whatnot," said 8-year veteran of the plan Nick Jackson. "But we're from Buffalo, we're strong."
The Buffalo spirit is so strong and when you consider that the vast majority of workers had families to feed, the impact of the closure grows by several thousand.
"No warning, no time to prepare," Jackson said.
The lack of notice is still baffling for NYS Senator Rob Ortt.
"No one seems to have had any notice that they were shuttered," Senator Ortt Said. "I think a lot of these people here are still in shock."
Many of the workers fired on Thursday live in Ortt's 62nd Senate District.
Despite the company saying it struggled financially, Ortt is also surprised that Sumitomo Rubber never reached out to aid from the state.
"I would like to think that the governor, U.S. senators, are reaching out to them to try to say 'is there something we can offer?'" Ortt said.
Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he was furious with Sumitomo for not giving notification and not caring about workers.
The general tone amongst the 200-300 former employees that gathered at Aqua Lane park is betrayal.
"There's so many different emotions that go through you feel like 'is this partly my blame?'" said Dave Nowak, a 32-year veteran of the plant. "The company preached honor and dignity, and I don't think they've showed it with us, which hurts."
Monday afternoon Sumitomo Rubber USA updated its FAQ page, with additional information about the financial issues at the Tonawanda facility.
Sumitomo Rubber USA says that the plant had an aggregated loss of $790M over the last ten years.
Additionally, the company says that they "did not anticipate the shift in TBR (Truck and Bus Radial) demand or the slowdown in demand for our tires."
The company also maintains that it has been clear in its communication with employees for the last five years, as it pertains to the financial situation of the Tonawanda facility.
"We shared the ongoing negative financial figures, and numerous text messages were sent out regarding both our operational turnaround struggles and limited successes," Sumitomo Rubber said in its FAQ page.
The FAQ page also explains why it purchased a specific website domain a month before the closure announcement was made:
"Given the ongoing losses over the years, we’ve always had tasks in place in case a closure decision was made. This decision is typically reviewed annually, and over the years, Sumitomo continued to provide support, committing to one more year and even an expansion. Unfortunately, this time, the plan was halted, so we continued with the necessary tasks while waiting for a final decision."
That statement supports the information provided by multiple sources that the closure plan had been in the works for months, possibly a year.
Sumitomo Rubber also says the closure wasn't due to the U.S. election, and that the timing fell when earnings were released in Japan.
Regardless of the reasons, workers are still left scrambling around the holiday's and trying to figure out what's next.
"I don't know, I have no idea, just figure out how I'm gonna get through these next few months with the holidays and with my family," said Jackson. "I've got two little kids, so [I'm] just trying to stay strong for them and get on the other side of this."
