Uniroyal is well-known as a tire manufacturing company, but the company has an extensive history of industrial operations that included the production of many asbestos-contaminated materials. Workers across multiple industries, ranging from the company’s own employees to naval shipyards, faced significant health risks from being exposed to Uniroyal’s asbestos-laden products on the job. Many individuals have developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related illnesses and have pursued legal remedies against the corporation.
The History of Uniroyal Holding, Inc.
The roots of Uniroyal reflect a combination of businesses formed in 1892 in Connecticut and another that traces back to 1916 in Wisconsin.[1]
United States Rubber Company
In 1892, nine rubber manufacturing companies in Naugatuck merged to form the United States Rubber Company. Among the nine was Goodyear’s India Rubber Glove Manufacturing Company, which had manufactured rubber gloves for telegraph linemen under the name Litchfield Rubber Company until 1847.[1]
The success of United States Rubber was formally recognized when Charles Dow included the company among the twelve original industrial manufacturing stocks in his Dow Industrial Average in 1896. One example of the company’s success can be seen in its footwear division, which manufactured products under thirty different brand names, then consolidated these brands into a single name, Keds, a flexible rubber-sole with canvas-top.
Gillette Safety Tire Company
At the same time that United States Rubber was expanding, a Michigan inventor named Raymond B. Gillette partnered with S.P. Woodard from Car Spring Rubber Company to establish the Gillette Safety Tire Company in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Woodard served as the company’s inaugural president while Gillette acted as vice president and general manager.
The facility initially employed around 250 workers and manufactured 200 tires and 200 inner tubes daily. After producing its first test tire on May 23, 1917, the operation expanded rapidly, doubling its daily output capacity and rebranding as Gillette Tire Company. The company acquired Chippewa Valley Rubber Company and diversified into rubber manufacturing equipment, mechanical goods, and consumer products, including rubber heels, raincoats, and picnic coolers.[1]
When financial troubles struck in the early 1920s, the company was forced into receivership. It reorganized in 1925, and under new leadership, its production focused on automotive, truck, and bicycle tires as well as tire-making machinery. The company eliminated its waterproof fabric and mechanical goods divisions, and by the late 1920s, had become a major bicycle tire producer, reaching peak output of 19,000 tires and 14,000 tubes daily with 1,600 employees.
The Merger
By 1931, U.S. Rubber Company ranked third among America’s major rubber manufacturers and held lucrative contracts to supply Montgomery Ward and General Motors. To increase its share of the automobile tire market, it purchased a substantial portion of Gillette, whose Eau Claire facility was strategically positioned to serve Ward’s Midwest operations.
Full control of Gillette didn’t transfer to U.S. Rubber until 1940, though the plant retained its original branding and trademark for another decade. Following the acquisition, U.S. Rubber invested heavily in expanding and modernizing the facility, increasing employment to 2,600 workers and restoring production to pre-Depression levels.
Wartime Conversion and Post-War Expansion
With the advent of World War II, the U.S. government bought the entire Gillette facility and converted it to an ordnance plant for small-caliber ammunition production. The transformation meant that all the tire equipment needed to be dismantled, and additional buildings needed to be built. At its top level of wartime production, the facility was the worksite for 6,200 employees – 61 percent of whom were women, who manufactured ammunition around the clock.[1]
After the war, U.S. Rubber repurchased the property for $1.025 million and began a major expansion and modernization program. By 1947, the facility had doubled in size. It employed 4,400 workers and produced over 20,000 tires daily, making it the nation’s fifth-largest tire factory.
This evolution continued as technology advanced. Tubeless tires were introduced in 1954, giant off-road construction tires in 1965, and specialized tires were introduced through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1967, U.S. Rubber consolidated all of its operations under a brand new name and brand: Uniroyal.
In the following years, Uniroyal underwent significant change as it adapted to evolving market conditions. The company pioneered the bias belted tire in 1968, followed by the introduction of steel-belted radials for passenger cars and Monoply truck tires in 1973. By 1979, Uniroyal had expanded into manufacturing mini-spare tires. Throughout this period, the company invested heavily in the latest tire-building equipment and claimed to be the first manufacturer to produce a truck tire that featured an innovative wire carcass construction with wire belts.[1]
As international competition intensified in the 1980s, Uniroyal was forced to revise its strategy, concentrating on passenger radial tire production and halting its manufacturing of farm tires, Monoply tires, truck tires, and giant off-road tires. By 1987, Uniroyal was employing approximately 1,500 workers and producing 29,000 tires per day.
The 1986 Merger
In 1986, Uniroyal joined forces with B.F. Goodrich Company, creating the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company. This partnership combined Uniroyal’s strong General Motors supply relationship with Goodrich’s expertise in high-performance replacement tires, but the merger faced a number of challenges due to incompatible equipment and differing cost-accounting systems.
A few years later, the French tire manufacturer Michelin purchased Uniroyal Goodrich, making Michelin the world’s largest tire producer. While this acquisition expanded Michelin’s replacement tire market share and strengthened its General Motors relationship, it brought an end to operations at the original Gillette Eau Claire plant.
Uniroyal’s Extensive Asbestos Usage
Over the years of Uniroyal’s expansion, the company increasingly relied on asbestos across multiple product lines. Its best-known asbestos product was Asbeston, a lightweight lagging cloth used primarily for insulation repair and covering. Shipyards serving the U.S. Navy were major buyers of this material, purchasing substantial quantities for ship maintenance and repair operations. Asbestos was widely used.
Documents collected over years of litigation show that in 1958, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard alone started with an order of 100 yards of the material for testing, and this preliminary assessment was followed by massive orders of 13,391 pounds in 1959 and an additional 5,880 pounds in 1960. This heavy usage by just one shipyard continued until Uniroyal reportedly discontinued asbestos in its products in 1976.
Asbestos-Containing Products Manufactured by Uniroyal
Uniroyal produced an extensive range of asbestos-contaminated products spanning several decades, including:
- Uniroyal Asbestos Cloth (Asbeston)
- Uniroyal B.F. Goodrich Adhesives
- Uniroyal B.F. Goodrich Aircraft Brakes
- Uniroyal B.F. Goodrich Automobile Brakes
- Uniroyal B.F. Goodrich Disc Brakes
- Uniroyal B.F. Goodrich Expander-Tube Brakes
- Uniroyal B.F. Goodrich Light Duty Truck Brakes
These products created exposure risks for people working in multiple industries, including automotive repair, aerospace maintenance, and maritime operations.
Workers and Industries Affected by Uniroyal’s Asbestos Products
The widespread use of Uniroyal’s asbestos-containing materials created exposure hazards for numerous occupational groups, including:
- Shipyard personnel and naval workers
- Automotive technicians and brake specialists
- Aircraft maintenance teams
- Industrial plant operators
- Chemical processing workers
- Boilermakers and insulators
- Military veterans across multiple service branches
Health Risks for Uniroyal Employees
A 1986 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study examined toxic exposure among 987 workers over age 40 across various rubber manufacturing facilities, including multiple Uniroyal plants. The research documented asbestos exposure levels that frequently exceeded OSHA’s permissible limits of 2 fibers per cubic centimeter.[2]
Medical screenings identified 24 workers showing clear evidence of asbestos exposure, including pleural plaques and chest wall thickening. These findings highlighted the insidious nature of asbestos contamination within Uniroyal’s manufacturing environments, affecting both production workers but also support staff throughout the facilities.
Environmental Contamination and Cleanup Efforts
Uniroyal’s asbestos usage created lasting environmental hazards at former manufacturing sites. The company’s Mishawaka, Indiana, facility, which operated from 1922 until 1997, required extensive environmental remediation due to toxic waste contamination, including asbestos materials.[3]
In 2007, the city of Mishawaka filed suit against Uniroyal to recover cleanup costs for the abandoned facility. The Environmental Protection Agency investigation confirmed significant contamination and provided over $1.5 million in cleanup assistance. Uniroyal ultimately agreed to contribute $100,000 toward remediation expenses.[4]
Legal Actions Filed by Mesothelioma Victims Against Uniroyal
Uniroyal has faced multiple lawsuits filed by people who developed asbestos-related diseases after exposure to the company’s products. One notable case involved Gary Allen, a man who developed lung cancer after experiencing secondary asbestos exposure from his father’s work as an insulator at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.[5]]
Mr. Allen’s father unknowingly brought asbestos fibers into the family’s home on his work clothing, skin, and hair over 25 years of employment. Though the court initially ruled in favor of Uniroyal based on the company’s argument that the victim’s evidence of contamination was not enough for the case to move forward, Mr. Allen filed a successful appeal, presenting shipyard purchase receipts showing that his employer had made extensive use of Uniroyal’s Asbeston product. This led to the court ordering a retrial, providing Mr. Allen with an opportunity for compensation.
Help for People Sickened by Exposure to Uniroyal’s Asbestos Products
Anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or any other asbestos-related condition after having worked for Uniroyal, or who was exposed to the company’s asbestos-containing products, may be eligible to take legal action against the company. Though your priority should always be establishing a treatment plan with a mesothelioma specialist, making time to consult with an experienced asbestos litigation attorney is essential.
Many people are hesitant about pursuing legal action, no matter the situation, but the failure to warn of the dangers of asbestos put countless people at risk, and those who have been harmed are entitled to compensation. Speaking with a compassionate legal professional won’t cost you anything, and it will provide you with a clear understanding of all the options available to you. After a quick assessment of your occupational history, a mesothelioma lawyer will be able to identify all the times and environments in which you were exposed to asbestos, as well as the companies whose products you were exposed to.
An asbestos lawyer can explain all the options available to you, ranging from filing a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death claim naming multiple defendants, or filing individual claims against asbestos trust funds established by the bankrupted companies whose products you may have been exposed to. They can answer all your questions, guide you and your family through the complex legal process, and maximize the compensation that you receive to cover all the costs of your treatment and protect your family’s financial security in the future.
It’s important for victims of asbestos exposure to remember that the time they have to take action is limited, as there are limits to the amount of time they have to file a personal injury claim. Making an appointment to see a mesothelioma lawyer will make all of this clear so that you can make an educated decision about the best way for you to move forward.
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