Warrior Legacy FoundationToyota Being Thrown Under the Hybrid Bus?
Detroit Free Press:
Roughly 100 supporters gathered as UAW Vice President Bob King and Teamsters President James Hoffa delivered a letter for Japan Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama calling for a meeting with Japanese officials and Toyota.
The Japanese automaker announced last year it was closing the plant in Fremont, Calif., after General Motors pulled out of the joint venture under its bankruptcy. The plant is the only Toyota plant organized by the UAW, and has about 4,700 workers.
“It’s betrayal of these loyal workers in Fremont to close the plant and then announce plans to build a new plant in Mississippi,” King said.
King and other union officials linked Toyota’s recalls to the management decisions made to close down the California plant, saying both were examples of how Toyota had strayed from its principles.
I came across this op ed written by Al Neuhauser at Living Lake Country.com and it opened my eyes to few coincidences involving the present outrage over Toyota’s product. Neuhauser says:
Reports of runaway acceleration have been around for years, ever since automobile engines have been controlled by computers. Pressing on your accelerator pedal no longer opens a throttle plate in the carburetor via a mechanical cable. In most modern cars, it merely creates an electrical input to the car’s computer which then controls the fuel injection system to increase fuel and air flow. Audi and VW have been accused for years through anecdotal reports of electrical defects causing runaway acceleration. No defect has ever been found.
Now for the coincidence. Last year, Toyota announced it was closing its Fremont, CA, auto assembly plant, called NUMMI for New United Motors Manufacturing, because they say GM pulled out of a joint venture agreement. About 5,000 union jobs are involved. Some have speculated that this only UAW-organized Toyota plant proved too expensive to operate in sunny Taxifornia. Regardless, the UAW is highly incensed, especially since shortly thereafter Toyota announced it was building a new plant in non-union Mississippi. So, about a week ago about 100 UAW demonstrators gathered in front of the Japanese embassy in Washington and delivered a nasty letter of protest to the ambassador.
This took place shortly after Toyota’s gas pedal woes burst upon the national scene. Since then, Congress and the Feds have piled on poor Toyota, threatening all sorts of investigations, making outrageous allegations and even issuing veiled suggestions that Toyota’s flagship Prius hybrid, by far the best of the hybrids, has brake and acceleration problems caused by “electrical glitches.” Again, no hard evidence. The fact that the Chevy Volt priority-electric vehicle is due for release this year is just a coincidence–right?
That is really odd isn’t? Here was another coincidence…
St. Louis’ KMOX radio:
ST. LOUIS (KMOX Radio) — Dozens of United Auto Workers staged a demonstration against Toyota Motor Corporation, on the sidewalks outside the St. Louis Auto Show.
Protestors are upset the Japanese automaker has announced plans to close a California plant in March, displacing almost five-thousand UAW members.
Local UAW spokesman Lou Moye, a retired Shop Chairman from the Chrysler Fenton plant, says Toyota is closing the Fremont, California plant because it’s the only Toyota plant organized by the UAW.
“Basically it’s anti-union,” Moye said, “Toyota is anti-union. Any effort for workers collectively bargaining or trying to improve their conditions or benefits — they’re totally opposed to that. “
So we have protests from the UAW in Washington, DC and in Saint Louis upset at Toyota over closing 5,000 jobs in California, even though it was GM’s fault these jobs are gone. And then the federal government decides to do a full court press over gas pedal acceleration and prius brakes that have both been reported as occurring for years without so much as a whisper from the Department of Transportation.
Not defending Toyota here for their maleficence, but why the outrage now?
In the old days we complained as a nation about losing jobs to India, China and Mexico. Now we are outraged at the People’s Republic of Mississippi for stealing our jobs. What? If any state deserves employment it is Mississippi.
You want businesses to stay in your state give them a tax incentive to do so. And when the Federal government, still licking their wounds over the sweetheart deal that was given to the UAW over healthcare (some would argue was the final dagger that killed the bill) are now trashing the biggest competitor of American cars. Not to mention that the government OWNS General Motors.
Just weird that some in Washington would interfere into the private sector….. wait, can’t believe I just typed that.
A couple of things. First, the “sticking accelerator” problem. Years back, I took numerous accident reports involving Pontiac 6000’s. Either the car accelerated unexpectedly, or it just quit, the engine died and it wouldn’t even turn over. Second hand info was that the “brain” died. Imagine being on a freeway and your car just quits, no acceleration, no power for steering. Or the opposite. I don’t recall if there ever was a recall for those UAW built cars.
The other thing, Government Motors pulls out of the deal, so Toyota is expected to pay their own fair share, and carry GM’s water, too? These folks are seriously delusional….
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Unions are panicking because they are losing their clout. Memberships are WAY down and that means less money coming into the union coffers. That’s why the unions are pushing so hard for “Card Check”. These sorts of things will only get worse over the next few years.
I’ll never buy a GM product.
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