NUMMI Plant Closure Officially Breaks The UAW's Back With Toyota

The article keeps mentioning this as a Toyota factory. I thought this was a GM factory, and Toyota formed a joing venture to use the extra plant capacity way back.

Personally, I'm glad to see Toyota getting out from under the UAW. Toyota has new factories they can use.

— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 12:52:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Toyota got the Big 3 memo, in essence;

“UAW is bad for business, get rid of it.”

— topneuro (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 12:54:05 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 7   

They can't afford you!... Didn't you see what happened with the domestics?! You guys shouldn't be wasting your time here. I bet one smart guy has ditched the rally and began sending out a revised resume.

— WorldofLuxury (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 12:55:16 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Friend or "foez"? Apparently, we all know the answer to that question Mr/Ms "foez": UAW = death of American car industry.

— mscottc1 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 5:56:11 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

CBS news. There's a reliable source of info.

— 993Turbo (View Profile)

Posted on 9/9/2009 7:38:28 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Name one big company that has not been sued by one or more of their ex-employees.

— ceric (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 2:31:40 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

LOL, foreigners like Shempy making comments.

— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 3:52:15 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

Poor little Shempy, perpetuating his village idiot likeness.

— _43LE (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 5:28:20 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

GM abandons NUMMI yet Toyota gets the flak for closing it. Always easier to blame the 'yellow' guy who's kicking your ass rather than looking in the mirror.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 5:05:37 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

foez,
Japan's market isn't as closed as you would like to believe. You see the Camaro having a hard time selling in Japan? The Japanese don't buy things if they perceive them as inferior. The Camaro is unique and desirable, if the big 2.5 made more cars like it, then the Japanese would buy them too.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 10:03:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

This is a rationale business decision by Toyota. The former employees should look to the state government for creating such a hostile environment to attract and retain business. this isnt a mystery but dont expect CA to change any time soon

— freeagent (View Profile)

Posted on 9/8/2009 10:14:30 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

Umm, no dear. The big three was crushed from years of making (mostly) inferior products and coddling the UAW.

— delan (View Profile)

Posted on 9/9/2009 3:00:45 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

foez, if you got ALL the facts instead only the ones your blinders allow you to see, you'd know that the japanese actually LOVE imported goods, WHEN they have the QUALITY that they demand.

so most of their imports are from europe, rather than the u.s.

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 9/10/2009 2:00:41 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Well, maybe if our Govt would wake up and realize we need to, dare I say, become selfish ourselves we would not be in this situation. As far as the UAW; yes, it can sure take a lot of the blame. BUT remember; it was the automakers management (and board of directors, who represent the investors) who agreed to and signed all these contracts over the decades since the union began. ALSO: our middle class economy, the one that has made America what it is (was) over the last decades since the beginning of the 20th century and especially after WW2, was created by the auto industry, and further fueled by the growth of heavy industry as a result of WW2. If our Govt had done the job as well as the Japanese Govt has done, (which is the job it is suppose to do), and protected and restricted our industrial base from outsourcing our economy out of the US, we would all be better off. Now, As far as NUMMI: what did we expect would happen? The only thing keeping the plant alive was the kickback Toyota was getting from GM for assembling the Vibe. This plant has not been necessary for Toyota for a long time. Now, this does not mean its right what is happening here. If GM had also been building better product, then this might not have turned out this way at all. Again, if our GOVT (Fed & state) had been doing the job it was suppose to be, we might still have a vibrant auto, (as well as aerospace, ship building, etc) industrial base thriving in this state (as well as others) and we would not be facing the huge unemployment numbers we have now and could see a future economic recovery coming much quicker than it will now, if indeed it ever actually does recover. Oh, and no one has mentioned: what will now happen to the first manufacturing plant Toyota built in the USA? Anyone, Anyone? The Truck Bed Assembly plant in Long Beach CA. This plant was built in order to comply with a rule enacted sometime in the early 70’s that said that complete trucks could not be imported to the US without facing a large tariff; The way found around this was to have the bed ‘assembled” in the US and installed on to the truck at the port of entry. Toyota immediately built this plant and ALL Toyota compact truck beds have been built here and shipped to all of their assembly points, including NUMMI, and/or the POE’s since this time. Obviously, I’m sure they will be closing, or severely reducing, this plants output as well. Nummi was this plants biggest customer. As seems to be the norm these days for America, the whole thing is just SAD.

— Autoknologist (View Profile)

Posted on 9/9/2009 3:57:53 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

foez,
Actually, I'm Chinese. I defend the companies that benefit Canada and the U.S.

Japan's reward for being America's strongest ally is access to their market, of course, they're the only country who actually had to earn this right. Maybe Americans should be more picky on who's allowed to import goods into this country (perhaps restricting the backstabbing Koreans or the always looking to copy something Chinese or the thanks for nothing Germans). Countries should earn the right to trade with N.America rather than simply offering cheap labour.

Japanese may be inherently racist, but so are most people outside of North America. Why should the Japanese buy a junky import if they see and know their domestics are better?

Japan is so selfish they let the Koreans and Indians import crapboxes into their market at the expense of Toyota.

Autoknologist,
Toyota could have easily closed Canadian plants once the autopact died but they didn't. If that truck bed assembly plant still serves a purpose as it sounds like it does (they'll just ship them to Texas instead), then they'll keep it.

Paying 5x as much once for something that never breaks doesn't mesmerize people as being allowed to buy the same piece of crap product 5 times because its cheaper.
What can I say, the sooner Walmart goes bankrupt (with laws that also affect other businesses specializing in slave labour), the better. In 2006, Walmart was directly responsible for 200,000 job losses.
http://www.epi.org/publications/entry/ib235/
I'm seriously surprised Walmart hasn't started importing cheap labour to work at their stores. Resorts are allowed to do it. I'm sure the Waltons are working on it, they just haven't found the right person to bribe yet.

It all boils down to everybody's quest for the cheapst price possible and not realizing that their job is the true cost of "everyday low prices". Maybe when/if a few industrial states file for bankruptcy, the yellow bouncing smily face won't seem so 'awesome'.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 11:06:02 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1