"A Use-To-Work-Together, Get-Together" for former B. F. Goodrich employees was held Saturday at Calhoun County Park.
Calhoun's first manufacturing plant of the 20th century - Rubber Fabricators - was sold to B. F. Goodrich in 1972. The company had 300 employees at that time.
Later, the entire Goodrich operation was shifted to Spencer. In 2002 the operation was closed, with 170 workers losing their jobs, about half of them from Calhoun County.
Goodrich deceived workers about not shifting most of their operations to foreign counties to save labor costs, depriving them of government sponsored re-training benefits.
Later, Goodrich fessed up and workers were given re-training.
Employees recalled the heyday work life in the region before they were globalized abroad.
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