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CNN Live At Daybreak
Shutting Down Firestone Decatur Plant: Economy or Public Relations to Blame?
Aired June 28, 2001 - 07:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: In Illinois, Bridgestone/Firestone claims it's the economy, but the employees may be thinking otherwise. The plant that made suspected Wilderness AT tires used on Ford Explorers is going to be shut down.
Here's CNN's Jeff Flock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forty-seven-year-old Ada Owens gets off her shift at the Bridgestone/Firestone plant in Decatur, Illinois, where she has worked on this line for the past 27 years. But on this day, instead of going home, she heads to the union hall to hear that her job and the rest of them at this plant are soon to be lost.
ADA OWENS, FIRESTONE EMPLOYEE: Think about it: 1,500 workers' jobs gone -- it's going to have a heavy impact.
FLOCK: At a closed-door meeting, Steelworkers Local 713's president, Roger Gates, is honest.
ROGER GATES, PRESIDENT, USWA LOCAL 713: It's very frustrating. It's the worst possible scenario for the Decatur plant and the Decatur people.
FLOCK: Bridgestone/Firestone took the extraordinary step of sending Vice President John McQuade to Decatur for a teleconference with reporters and a plant-steps press conference to emphasize the closing is about simple supply and demand.
(on camera): But some think Firestone has been eager to close this plant -- and now to publicize it -- to solve their public relations problem: shutting the plant that made the tires tied to all those tread separations and rollover deaths.
This plant, the one that the source of the problem tires now to be shutdown.
JOHN MCQUADE, VICE PRESIDENT, BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE: That has absolutely nothing to do with the situation that happened last year.
FLOCK (voice-over): In Decatur, Firestone is the third largest employer, behind the giant Archer Daniels Midland and Caterpillar plants.
TERRY HOWLEY, MAYOR OF DECATUR: As for Decatur's outlook, we've seen situations like this before and we've gotten through them.
FLOCK: Ada Owens has seen the worst, too.
OWENS: I will go on. I will live on. I will survive, because I am a survivor by nature.
FLOCK: She may be, but her plant figures to survive only until December.
I'm Jeff Flock, CNN, Decatur, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NELSON: And one of the plant's workers now joins us here on CNN DAYBREAK LIVE -- LIVE AT DAYBREAK before he starts his shift.
Stanford Livingston has been a tire builder there for the past 36 years.
Mr. Livingston, thanks for being with us.
STANFORD LIVINGSTON, DECATUR FIRESTONE PLANT EMPLOYEE: You're welcome.
NELSON: Your thoughts this morning?
LIVINGSTON: Well, it was kind of a shock. I think everybody was kind of expecting it to happen. But the reality didn't set in until we had our meeting yesterday, informational meeting, and they told everyone. And now it's become a reality and just something that we have to learn to deal with right now.
NELSON: What's the morale like in the plant? Is there a sense that the plant employees are being made the scapegoats for all of these deaths and injuries associated with the Wilderness tires?
LIVINGSTON: Well, I think that's probably part of it. But I think it's more or less just a lot of guys that are, you know, one day you got a job; the next day you don't have one.
NELSON: What do you do...
LIVINGSTON: And...
NELSON: Yes, go ahead.
LIVINGSTON: Yes, I'm a tire builder out there now. And I just applied for another job in the skilled trades department. And I took a test, passed it. Now it doesn't look like it's going to do any good.
NELSON: Now, Firestone says the problem here is the economy. I mean, there's a drop in demand for the tires, presumably because of the accidents. Have you noticed a falloff in production?
LIVINGSTON: Well, our production has dropped quite a bit. And I talked to several of my friends. They still purchase Firestone tires. I purchase them. My family has them. So, as far as I'm concerned, we build a very, very good product here in Decatur and always have.
NELSON: So what are you going to do now with your life?
LIVINGSTON: Right now, I'm getting ready to make a few evaluations and I'm going to stay at home and be a house husband for awhile.
(LAUGHTER)
NELSON: And, finally, my last question is: How do you think Firestone has handled this entire controversy?
LIVINGSTON: At first, it started off a little shaky. I thought they were a little afraid of Ford. Now I think Mr. Lampe stood up to the plate for us. And they've accepted their responsibility. And I think Ford is still ducking their culpability.
NELSON: All right, well, thanks very much, Stanford Livingston, a Firestone plant employee in Decatur, Illinois. Thank you for joining us this morning.
LIVINGSTON: Thank you.
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