NASHVILLE – The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development has set up a special career center in Union City and is meeting with former employees of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant that ceased production at its plant there earlier this month.

The agency’s “Rapid Response” team started orientation and workshop sessions Wednesday that will continue daily, except Sunday, through Aug. 4. The meetings cover benefits and eligibility for services. The office is at 204 South 2nd Street in Union City.

Those meetings are scheduled on weekdays from 7 to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 4 to 7 p.m. Sessions this Saturday are scheduled 9 a.m. to noon.

In addition to those ongoing sessions, state Labormissioner Karla Davis and state Sen. Roy Herron will hold a public meeting at 4 p.m. today at the Obion County Courthouse. They will answer questions, discuss educational opportunities to prepare workers for future jobs and talk about additional jobs in rural West Tennessee.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced late Wednesday steps it’s taking to help the displaced employees of Goodyear and some of its suppliers in the area.

The state agency says Goodyear unemployment insurance claims are being expedited through an automated system using a database, put together by state employment security staff, that processes all employees’ claims electronically rather than employees having to file individually. As a result, Goodyear hourly employees can expect their initial benefit payment this week, according to the department.

In addition, approximately $2 million in federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) has been approved for the 1,900 employees of Goodyear and some suppliers. TAA generally provides up to two years of training at a Tennessee Board of Regents approved school for employees affected by foreign trade. Training programs must be in a high demand occupation such as registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, paramedic, certified production technology, truck driving, welding, and industrial maintenance.

When individuals exhaust the initial 26 weeks of Tennessee unemploymentpensation, a program called Trade Readjustment Allowances provide ie support to individuals while they are participating in full-time training. Certified workers may be eligible for up to 104 weeks of ie support.

Contractors associated with Goodyear are also covered under the TAA petition, including Hamilton-Ryker, Securitas Security Services, Take Care Corporation, Conestoga Rovers, Phillips Engineering, Rockwell Engineering, Excel Logistics, and American Food and Vending.

More than 300 Goodyear employees are residents of Kentucky, and Tennessee Department of Labor staff are coordinating with labor officials in Kentucky to streamline training efforts, unemployment benefits and other job services so workers can receive the same service in the state in which they live.

The department also has applied for a $3.4 million National Emergency Grant to serve 850 workers in multiple counties that have requested retraining services, subsidized employment and on-the-job training. The application is being reviewed by the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington and is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

Goodyear announced in February that it was closing the Union City plant by the end of the year, leaving employees hoping for a phased-down closure. But thepany suddenly told workers arriving for work starting with the third shift Sunday night, July 10, that production was ending immediately. The Union City plant opened in 1968 and was by far the largest employer in Northwest Tennessee.

Goodyear profits up

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. reported a 43 percent surge in second-quarter earnings Thursday, helped by a 24 percent sales increase.

Goodyear, the biggest tire maker in North America and third largest globally, said it earned $40 million on sales of $5.6 billion in the three months ending June 30.

In the second quarter of 2010, Akron-based Goodyear earned $28 million, on revenue of $4.5 billion.

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