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For
the first time in postwar history, Toyota is closing a car assembly
plant. It just happens to be their only unionized plant in North America as well as the only
remaining auto assembly plant in California.
It
was originally a General Motors plant, opened in 1962, closed 20 years later. It was brought back to life
in 1984 as New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), a joint
venture of GM and Toyota. GM hoped to learn from the
Japanese “lean production” methods while Toyota was glad to establish a
manufacturing beachhead in the USA.
The
plant was governed by a special UAW contract granting management much
more flexibility on the shop floor. Over the past 25 years the plant in
Fremont, Calif., cranked out compact cars
under both Toyota and Chevrolet plates.
But
NUMMI was one of the plants ordered closed by the Obama
administration’s restructuring of GM. GM’s Fremont interests remain
with Motors Liquidation Company—GM properties to be closed or sold.
While
California is a large part of Toyota’s U.S. market, they today have
five other “transplant” assembly operations in the U.S., plus a sixth brand new
plant sitting as yet unused in Mississippi, as well as plants in Canada. They decided not to accept
a continuing contract with the UAW and are shifting the work for now to
an unorganized plant in Cambridge, Ontario. Fremont workers are welcome to
immigrate to Canada and apply for any openings
but will receive “no priority consideration.”
So
chalk up another 4800 auto job losses to our benefactor in the White
House.
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