Staff seize bosses at restive French tire plant

PARIS - An official with Goodyear (GT) says workers at a restive plant in northern France have detained two managers in a conference room at the tire factory.

The factory's union says the director and human resources chief were blocked from leaving after an especially difficult meeting Monday with staff; a Goodyear representative, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the tense situation, says the two managers were being held against their will.

"Boss-napping" became rampant in France in 2009 at the height of the economic meltdown, although the practice has since tapered off.

But the Amiens plant has an especially contentious past. Goodyear has been trying to restructure or close the factory for more than five years. Sometimes violent workers' protests, government concerns and France's prolonged layoff procedures have stalled the process.