So We Wait So, let's talk about Goodyear. We are talking 12 companies, and more than 14,000 workers. This doesn't even include retirees and family members. The Oakland Press says it this way as well which shows the international impact of this situation:

Ed Markey, Goodyear spokesman, confirmed Monday that Goodyear is a major supplier to virtually every automaker operating in the United States.

Thus, any walkout would have what was described as a large effect on carmakers such as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Daimler-Chrysler AG, as well as Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., which depend on Goodyear's deliveries of new tires.

The contract between Goodyear and the union expired in July. Negotiations have not been going well for some time. I'm not going to sit here and write about the union. I'm not going to blather on about Goodyear. I want to talk about the fact that everyone suffers when a plant of this size goes on strike or a lock-out is ordered. Or if a company of this size leaves. And I'm afraid this might be the direction this might be headed although this is just my opinion. To say our communities are on alert is an understatement. Now, at this point there is no indication that Goodyear is leaving although many companies of this size do look at going off shore, because it's about money. But the thing is, counties like Obion and Weakley here in Tennessee, will lose more than I can describe in a few short words. Let's just say a lot. First of all in a strike of plant of this nature, disposable income is gone not only for those workers, but for the community as a whole. If there is no money to spend, then retailers and service industries suffer. And no matter what anyone says, many people live by the financial base they have. You make twenty bucks an hour, you are going to live as someone who makes twenty bucks an hour. Second of all, not only the twelve communities will be hit, but the retirees of those areas, the businesses, the day to day financial infrastructure of the area is a whole is at stake. We've lost a ton of needle and thread plants over the last decade. This could be bad, campers. Very, very bad. We are talking about a great deal of money. And we are also talking about the dying of the work structure of my grandparents and my parents. The days of giving undying loyalty to a company who says they will also be loyal to you are going by the wayside. And on a personal level, many of these men and women are my friends. This is my community. I live here too. So we all are impacted. And we wait.  ¶ 10/03/2006 04:09:00 PM