Author Topic: Toyota tells US Plants "Be Prepared to Shut Down" (Read 973 times)

teamnelson · « **on:** March 23, 2011, 02:13:27 PM »

Quote

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/23/cnnmoney-toyota-tells-u-s-plants-prepare-to-shut-down/

All 13 plants in North America will be slowing down due to inavailability of parts, and have been told to be prepared for a shut down. Sorry to anyone who might be affected by this.

mirage1988 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2011, 10:28:20 PM »

What about the machine shops and factories in the US that are barely surviving, why doesn't toyota use them? The excuse that it takes a long time to re-tool comes from a union shop, the shop I work in would have parts the next day.

Shu · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2011, 03:24:43 AM »

A lot of it is the electronic parts that were manufactured in Japan. The plants making those are out of business. I am guessing the Japanese car makers will start up again with US machining. The big issue is qualifying new machine shops and new electronic manufactures to meet the specifications. Once thats done they will be up and running again. I would guess electronics and cars from Japan will be scarce and more expensive than previously.

BTW Japan bought over 200 billion in US debt to bolster their buying power on the world market. This makes the yen more valubale for the rebuild.

Brett · « **Reply #3 on:** March 24, 2011, 04:13:07 AM »

It's not just Toyota. The US big three have all made similar announcements pertaining to at least some of their assembly lines because they too depend on Japanese made parts.

Sourdough · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2011, 08:00:43 AM »

Heard Toyota has announced they are going to start making engines here in the US. More American Jobs.

LabRat2k3 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2011, 12:48:38 PM »

Toyota has been building engines and transmissions in the US for quite some time now. They have had a plant in Buffalo, WV since around 1996.

tsleeth · « **Reply #6 on:** March 29, 2011, 06:33:15 PM »

My brother-in-law works for toyota and they cut all ot last week and asked this week for employees to take a voluntary day off

Spanky · « **Reply #7 on:** March 29, 2011, 06:50:44 PM »

Union labor costs strike again??

Spanky

Graybeard · « **Reply #8 on:** March 29, 2011, 07:53:00 PM »

Don't think Toyota plants are unionized. That's one reason I like Toyota so much.

Conan The Librarian · « **Reply #9 on:** March 29, 2011, 08:47:15 PM »

It's also why value, reliability, performance, comfort, fit and finish, durability, resale value, and cost of ownership are superior in the toyoters too.

keith44 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 29, 2011, 10:37:07 PM »

Whoa there guys, how many of you have been in a union shop?? Sure there are bad examples, but by far the safest, most skilled, and most highly trained (at least in the electrical field) are union workers. I do readily admit that the government offices should not be unionized, and as a whole the production and assembly workers hide behind union agreements to get out of work, but the skilled trades, the construction unions are still the best in the business. and since we intend to keep it that way we send the slackers packin!

Just because there is a union present is not always a bad thing.

teamnelson · « **Reply #11 on:** March 29, 2011, 11:00:44 PM »

keith44, that may be true, but its probably time for the unions, all the unions, to admit that the bad apples are tainting public opinion of the whole set up, and the harder some folks protest that they're being maligned the worse it looks all around. Many folks feel the need for the unions has come and gone ... what you describe sounds like a guild, not a union. Maybe that's an idea worth keeping, and toss the rest out.

mirage1988 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 29, 2011, 11:14:05 PM »

I work in a non-union machine shop and was there when a union electrician switched on a breaker of 480 volt 3phase that was just a coil of cable in the trusses. That highly skilled, highly trained worker (your words) would have killed someone had they been working on the end of that cable! He was sent home that day- not fired, just sent home, back on the job the next day.

Quote from: keith44 on March 29, 2011, 10:37:07 PM

Whoa there guys, how many of you have been in a union shop?? Sure there are bad examples, but by far the safest, most skilled, and most highly trained (at least in the electrical field) are union workers. I do readily admit that the government offices should not be unionized, and as a whole the production and assembly workers hide behind union agreements to get out of work, but the skilled trades, the construction unions are still the best in the business. and since we intend to keep it that way we send the slackers packin!

Just because there is a union present is not always a bad thing.

guzzijohn · « **Reply #13 on:** March 30, 2011, 04:42:43 AM »

This may just be the beginning of these sort of problems. I listen to a farm news radio station quite a bit. Yesterday they were saying that shipping companies may quit docking at any of the Japanese ports that have any contaminated water, even if slight due to the ships picking up radiation. Some say they may no longer accept any Japanese goods or deliver to any Japanese port due to fear of contamination. China has already refused to let some ships dock due to finding radioactive contamination, even when slight.
GuzziJohn

keith44 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 30, 2011, 06:40:00 AM »

mirage, like I said there are bad ones everywhere. and I don't believe that what you describe was a Journeyman Electrician. Being in a union and calling yourself an electrician does not make a union electrician, Highly and fully trained we carry at a minimum 2 year degree, and continuing education required by the state.

Back to topic

Yes the radioactive contamination they are dealing with is going to take some time to sortout. China may just be the first of many to refuse entry, hoping to contain the spill.

Graybeard · « **Reply #15 on:** March 30, 2011, 07:07:05 PM »

Dealt with unions in one way or another from the time I was born until I retired. Dad was a union negotiator for the pipe shop he worked in. I remember one strike they went out on that lasted almost 18 months. They finally settled for a nickel an hour raise.

We left home and moved to Florida for almost a year during yet another strike.

Most all jobs I had including federal employment was in unionized places. I've seen the nasty first hand everywhere both as a member and as management trying to deal with them. No thanks their time has passed and they should all be abolished.

Pat/Rick · « **Reply #16 on:** March 30, 2011, 07:22:52 PM »

Unions. One of the reasons why America can no longer afford itself.

DakotaElkSlayer · « **Reply #17 on:** March 30, 2011, 07:35:24 PM »

Quote from: Pat/Rick on March 30, 2011, 07:22:52 PM

Unions. One of the reasons why America can no longer afford itself.

Exactly! And that is why we need to open our country to SKILLED LABOR from other nations! The more skilled labor we get into this country willing to work for much, much less money, will allow the prices of things to drop to where they should be. Get the cost to machinists, electricians, etc. down to under $10/hr and we will be doing far better as a nation. Ya, those gosh-darn unions wanting labor to get a living wage!

Jim

keith44 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 30, 2011, 09:58:46 PM »

Thank you Jim, saved me some typing

+1 what Jim just posted, and add if not for union wages what do you think you would be working for, and how long would your work day be?? Check your history before answering. So tell me who started OSHA, the very organization that keeps all workers safe, anyone??

mirage1988 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2011, 10:23:19 PM »

You are agreeing with a guy whose signature is slamming rank and file? Not sure from his comment which side of the fence jim is sitting on, sounds like he is squarely on the post. Labor is actually the cheapest part of manufacturing- behind healthcare and steel, at least at the company I work for.

351 power · « **Reply #20 on:** March 31, 2011, 01:07:00 AM »

may be some decay in unions now i don't deny. but hard to deny the need for union intervention yrs ago. and may need it in the future

keith44 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 31, 2011, 07:15:58 AM »

I agreed with Jim because it appears to be sarcastic. My only point in this is that the TRADE UNIONS meaning electricians, carpenters, plumers, Millwrights,etc. have the best training programs, and safety records all the tradesmen.

gypsyman · « **Reply #22 on:** March 31, 2011, 07:53:35 AM »

I've never worked in a job that had a union. I have seen both the good and bad of unions. And, just like everything else, weather it be politics,business, health issues, legal issues, whatever. How about a little COMMON SENSE!!! If you have a worker that's busting it off in a business's a**, let the company fire him/her. The idea of making a company keep a worker, just because, is BS. And, why should a janitor get paid $20/hour, when a skilled tradesman gets only a couple bucks more an hour. And, if you work for a company that's a major employer, you should get a decent wage. Bad thing about these days, nobody has much common sense. It's all, me,me,me. This goes for the union worker, and the company that they work for!! gypsyman

Hooker · « **Reply #23 on:** March 31, 2011, 08:58:55 AM »

There was some talk about unionizing oilfield work. If it had happened I would have been looking for other work.
I posses what most union workers lack a skill set and reputation that speaks for it's self plus the ability to negotiate for what I will be paid.
It makes me wonder why a man would want to be gauged and sorted by the measure of such an average crowd rather than by his own reputation.

Pat