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Clashes At Goodyear Protest Of Factory Closure

Burning the very fruit of their labor, workers from Goodyear clashed with police outside the tire-maker's French headquarters in a last-ditch attempt to save their jobs. Goodyear has been trying to restructure or close its plant in northern France for five years, saying tires made there no longer sell.

PARIS (AP) -- Burning the very fruit of their labor, workers from Goodyear clashed with police outside the tire-maker's French headquarters in a last-ditch attempt to save their jobs.

Goodyear has been trying to restructure or close its plant in northern France for five years, saying tires made there no longer sell.

In another effort to save the factory and its 1,200 jobs, hundreds of Goodyear employees protested Thursday outside the company's offices near Paris, setting fire to a pile of tires in protest. Inside, union representatives met with management.

One demonstrator tore away a policeman's shield while another protester hit the officer on the head. Only a spray of tear gas pushed them back.

France's Socialist government is proposing to reform the labor regulation that has held up the factory's closure.

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