ALBANY – Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said the operators of the Sumitomo Rubber USA plant in the Town of Tonawanda closed the facility, leading to the loss of 1,550 jobs, without any prior notification in a “shock to the community and to the employees.”
“This has been a real kick in the teeth to a community that didn’t deserve this,” the Buffalo-born governor told reporters during a press briefing in the State Capitol.
Asked if there was any advance notice from the company that it was leaving, Hochul shook her head and said no.
“They did not telegraph this earlier. They did not say, ‘If you could do this for us, we’ll stay,’ ” the governor said. “It was presented to us as a very firm decision … It’s a sad day for Western New York.”
Hochul said her administration’s Empire State Development agency asked the company if it needed any assistance or financial help.
“The decision was already made and they don’t look like they’re about to reverse that,” the governor said.
Hochul said she reached out to federal officials to see if there was any way to save the jobs. She said Sumitomo officials decided that for financial reasons it was no longer viable to remain in Tonawanda. Hochul said the company, which she noted once employed her brother, has been part of the DNA of the Western New York industrial economy for some time.
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