Major competitors Goodyear and Michelin, as well as smaller competitors and private- label tire makers, predictably raised tire prices 3 to 5 percent. Goodyear then tried to increase production robustly to replace the millions of Firestone tires recalled or soon to be, but it was trying to avoid overtime pay to bolster profits. In a written statement, Goodyear said, "We are working very closely with Ford to jointly develop an aggressive plan to address consumers' needs as quickly as possible."The decrease in auto sales in the slowing economy that began in 2000 had led Goodyear to production cutbacks, including cutting 7,200 workers worldwide as it posted an 83 percent decline in profits in 2000. Now it was challenged to gear up to handle the windfall of the ending of the Ford/Firestone relationship.