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RALEIGH (AP) — Gov. Mike Easley on Thursday vetoed a bill designed to give up to $40 million in incentives to the Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Fayetteville, saying it would "set a dangerous precedent" by rewarding companies without guaranteeing to protect jobs.

Lawmakers approved the bill during the final days of the legislative session. The measure didn't identify a specific firm, but the bill's sponsors said it was designed for the Goodyear plant. The facility employs about 2,750 workers, and the legislation would have allowed the company to receive grants and incentives even if its work force fell to 2,000 employees.

"Never in the history of the state has anyone given a company up to $40 million and allowed them to lay off hundreds of workers," Easley wrote in his veto message. "This bill does not protect those employees or the state of North Carolina."

The veto came one day after Easley laid out a plan, which he vowed to support during next year's legislative session, to create a broad incentives program for large manufacturing companies in North Carolina. Under the plan, companies must commit to investing in their existing plants to stay competitive.

The move was designed to satisfy some lawmakers, along with other companies, who complained other businesses should be able to seek similar incentives.