TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Two months after the Sumitomo Rubber plant in the Town of Tonawanda closed and displaced 1,550 workers, a task force is working on the next steps.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz formed a task force dedicated to helping laid-off staff and repurposing the 2 million square foot plant.
The task force is made up of people representing groups including:
- Erie County Executive’s Office
- Empire State Development
- Workforce Buffalo
- Erie County Industrial Development Agency
- Town of Tonawanda
- New York State Department of Labor
- United Steelworkers
- Buffalo Central Labor Council
- Invest Buffalo Niagara
- Buffalo Niagara Partnership
- National Grid
Their first meeting was centered around concerns of what will become of the water system that other industries, including 3M, rely on, as well as helping displaced workers. Members of the task force said they are working to make sure the property does not sit vacant for long.
“I think it's going to be a very attractive site…because of the tech hub situation we have and the semiconductor superhighway with micron being built in the Syracuse area,” said Poloncarz.
He added that the hope is to keep it from becoming a datacenter that would give little back to the local economy.
According to representatives of United Steelworkers, a number of those workers have either retired or found new employment. Others who are still unemployed have received severance packages and are invited to ongoing job fairs.
“I always put faith in the people I sit in a room with,” said Jim Briggs, subdistrict director of United Steelworkers. “I wouldn't have come today if I didn't have faith that we could work together and do the right thing…We have to make sure that whoever comes in based on numbers, wages and benefits, it brings back that economic value to the workers and the community.”
