Supporters: It's not just Goodyear

Supporters argued incentives would help smaller businesses too.

Rep. Marvin Lucas, a Cumberland County Democrat whose district is home to the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant, said that the incentives will help the spin-off companies that work with them.

"The many food vendors that benefit from large operations will benefit," he said. "Yard maintenance companies will benefit. Janitorial operations will benefit. Small mechanical operations will benefit."

Rep. Margaret Highsmith Dickson, a Fayetteville Democrat, said the loss of Goodyear jobs could hurt convenience store owners, appliance salesmen and real estate agents. She noted her brother-in-law sells cars in Harnett County.

"He called me over the weekend to express his concern about what the failure to support Goodyear will mean to him and to his quality of life," she said.

Rep. Arthur Williams, a Washington Democrat, reminded his colleagues that natural rubber from Malaysia and Indonesia comes through the ports in Wilmington and Morehead City for Goodyear.

"Let's keep the jobs in North Carolina in rubber in Morehead City," he said.