Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. laid off 82 employees last week, with approximately 40 of those cuts occurring at the company’s Akron headquarters. The layoffs impacted various departments, including corporate functions, Global Operations & Technology, and the Americas business, as part of Goodyear’s ongoing effort to restructure for long-term profitability and efficiency.

A Goodyear spokesperson confirmed the news via email, stating that the affected employees would receive severance packages, benefits continuation, and assistance with finding new job opportunities.

Melissa Gould, a long-time employee who worked at Goodyear for 11 years, was among those laid off. Gould expressed her disappointment, reflecting on the company’s deep roots in Akron and how many generations of families have dedicated their careers to Goodyear. “It’s a shame… it all has to do with money, the bottom line,” she said.

This round of layoffs follows other recent cuts at Goodyear, including the relocation of 175 positions to Costa Rica earlier this year and the elimination of 135 jobs in the U.S. and Latin America in May. Additionally, the company closed its Malaysia plant in June, resulting in 550 job losses, and announced plans to cut 1,200 positions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in late 2023.

Despite these workforce reductions, no union employees were affected by the latest layoffs, and Goodyear’s stock saw a modest increase, closing at $8.85 on Monday. The company employs around 2,500 people in Akron, with approximately 71,000 employees worldwide.