Public health officials across the nation are urging people to stay home and avoid contact with others because of COVID-19, but more than 1,000 people employed at the Sumitomo Dunlop tire plant are still showing up to work -- and Erie County Executive Mark C.
Poloncarz is not happy about it.
AMERICAN CARMANUFACTURERSHAVE SHUT DOWNBECAUSE OF COVID-19...AND MAJOR TIRECOMPANIES LIKEGOODYEAR ANDCOOPER TIRES HAVEALSO CLOSED THEIRDOORS.BUT A JAPANESE-BASED TIRE-MAKER INTHE TOWN OFTONAWANDA ISSTAYING OPEN...DRAWING CRITICISMFROM SOMEWORKERS AND PUBLICOFFICIALS.I-TEAM CHIEFINVESTIGATORCHARLIE SPECHTREPORTS.PUBLIC HEALTHOFFICIALS AREURGING PEOPLE TOSTAY HOME BECAUSEOF COVID-19, BUTMORE THAN 1,000PEOPLE WHO WORKAT THE SUMITOMODUNLOP TIRE PLANT INTHE TOWN OFTONAWANDA ARESTILL SHOWING UP TOWORK...AND COUNTYEXECUTIVE MARKPOLONCARZ IS NOTHAPPY ABOUT IT.POLONCARZ:I CANNOT ORDER THECLOSURE OFSUMITOMO RUBBERBECAUSE IT HAS BEENALLOWED THROUGHTHE PARTS FOR AUTOINDUSTRY TOCONTINUE.
ITPROBABLY DOESN'TNEED TO BE OPEN ANDIT WOULD PROBABLYBE IN THEIR BESTINTEREST TO CLOSEFOR THEIR WORKERS.BOTH POLONCARZAND COMPANYOFFICIALS SAY THESTATE HAS GIVENTHEM SPECIALPERMISSION AS AN"ESSENTIAL" BUSINESSBECAUSETRANSPORTATION ISONE OF 16 "CRITICALINFRASTRUCTURESECTORS" FOR THEU.S. ECONOMY.POLONCARZ:MY UNDERSTANDING ISTHEY CAN DO IT,THOUGH I WOULD NOTRECOMMEND THEMBEING OPEN AT THISPOINT BECAUSE I CANTELL YOU, NOT MANYPEOPLE ARE GOINGOUT AND BUYING NEWTIRES.WHILE THE COMPANYDISPUTES THAT ANDSAYS IT'S TAKING THENECESSARY SAFETYPRECAUTIONS, MOSTWORKERS WHOCONTACTED THE I-TEAM APPEAR TOAGREE WITHPOLONCARZ, SAYINGTHAT DUNLOP STAYINGOPEN REMAINS A RISK-- NOT ONLY TOWORKERS, BUT TO THEPUBLIC AT LARGE.EMPLOYEE/IDENTITYWITHHELD:WE'RE NOT ESSENTIALTO THE GOVERNMENT.TO ANYBODY.THIS EMPLOYEE ISSPEAKING ON THECONDITION OFANONYMITY BECAUSEHE FEARSRETALIATION FROMTHE COMPANY.EMPLOYEE/IDENTITYWITHHELD:OUR TIRES ARE NOTGOING TO HIT THESHELVES ORWAREHOUSES UNTILSIX MONTHS AFTER WEMAKE THEM.EMPLOYEE/IDENTITYWITHHELD:REALLY THE BIGQUESTION IS, HOW DIDTHEY STAY OPEN?ANOTHER WORKEREMAILED US, SAYING, "IWORK HERE AND IT'SROUGH SEEING THEPEOPLE AND MORALEDOWN AND THEY JUSTWANT TO BE WITHTHEIR FAMILIES ANDNOT GET SICK."A THIRD SAID, "AS YOUKNOW WE ARE IN AWORLD WIDEPANDEMIC!"..."WHAT ISMORE IMPORTANT,MONEY ORPEOPLE????"BUT A FOURTHSTATED, "I JUST WANTIT TO BE KNOWN THATTHERE'S A LOT OFGUYS HERE THATTHINK THE COMPANYAND UNION WITH ALLTHE CIRCUMSTANCESARE DOING THE BESTTHEY CAN AND AREHAPPY TO BE ATWORK."THE COMPANY POINTSOUT THAT IT HASOFFERED VOLUNTARYMEDICALLAYOFFS...TAKEN BYABOUT 100 WORKERS.IT SAYS.:-- 258 EMPLOYEESSCREENED BYCOMPANY NURSE-- 0 EMPLOYEESTESTED POSITIVE FORCOVID-19-- 28 EMPLOYEES HAVEBEEN QUARANTINEDFOR CAUSE-- 6 EMPLOYEES HAVETESTED POSITIVE FORINFLUENZA NOTCOVID-19TAG --UNION OFFICIALSDECLINED TOCOMMENT FOR THISSTORY, BUTSUMITOMO H-RDIRECTOR RUSSELLPUSTULKA SAID IN ASTATEMENT, "OURTEAM MEMBERS AREOUR NUMBER ONERESPONSIBILITY, ANDWE WILL CONTINUE TOBE PROACTIVE BYFOLLOWING ANDENHANCING CDCGUIDELINES RELATINGTO SOCIALDISTANCING ANDCLEANING AT AMINIMUM.
TO DATETHERE HAS BEENZERO CONFIRMATIONSOF A POSITIVE COVIDTEST."FOR THE I-TEAM,CHARLIE SPECHT, 7EYEWITNESS NEWS