Quincy now has a total of about 950 production workers. Schildt reportedly said that the workers would fill back shifts to stockpile LSW rims, while LSW tires would be stockpiled at Titan Tire of Tennessee in Clinton - where numerous temps have also been hired. Schildt said the stockpiling would continue until June, the workers said. Not so coincidentally it is occasionally Titan's practice to hire temporary workers after six months, if they don't lay them off first. Apparently, the company is attempting to convert to a workforce that is made up of nonunion, low-paid, contingent workers who are less likely to question management's direction in increasingly dangerous and brutal workplaces.
Job security is no longer even a consideration.
Long-time workers at Quincy are predicting massive layoffs after the temps dutifully build stockpiles. Schildt, according to the workers, also hinted that Titan Wheel Inc. in Saltville, Va., would soon be facing massive layoffs - or even a shutdown. Shildt also said that all other Titan plants are being evaluated. If they are not profitable, according to the Titan manager, they will be sold or shut down. In fact, as long they continue to run their operations with strikebreakers and temps, they someday may very well have to shut them all down.