Tonawanda Plant Workers Reach Deal With Sumitomo

It’s been almost a month since 1,550 employees at the Sumitomo rubber plant in Tonawanda were shocked to learn they had lost their jobs. It’s taken that long for the union representing a majority of those workers to reach an agreement with the former employer on how to provide some severance payments for those employees, something that may help soften the blow of needing to look for new jobs just before the holidays.  

The benefits package agreed to between Sumitomo and United Steelworkers Local 135L includes 2.5 weeks of pay for every year on the jobs, which translates to between eight and 48 weeks of pay per employee, in addition to paying employees for all their vacation time and sick leave due in 2025. Workers also will receive a full year of health insurance, vision and dental benefits, more than two years’ worth of life insurance, access to career transition services through Career Partners International Buffalo Niagara and a letter of reference to help them secure new employment. Each employee also will retain the entirety of their pension or 401(k) benefits as those are protected.  

The company released a statement Wednesday confirming the agreement, adding that “further information will be available in the near future following communication between USW Local 135L and its membership.” 

The announcement came just days after a job fair was hosted specifically for Sumitomo employees at the Lincoln Park Athletic Center in Tonawanda, pulled together by the state Department of Labor, with more than 100 companies offering same-day interviews. Many of the companies were offering the same kind of union jobs the workers had at Sumitomo, with benefits packages and higher wages.