Toyota Plant: The Competition Is With Canada (and Mexico)

from OurFuture.org:



Toyota Plant: The Competition Is With Canada (and Mexico)
By Marcy Wheeler

July 31, 2009 - 10:30am ET


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I've been meaning to cover the likely closure of the joint Toyota-GM plant in Fremont, Calif., for some time. But this comment from DiFi is worth a post in itself.



The NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc) plant was opened as a joint venture between Toyota and GM in 1984. Back then it was a shiny new-fangled plant-—the future of auto assembly in the United States. It's also, notably, Toyota's only unionized American plant. GM has pulled out of the partnership as part of its bankruptcy, which has led Toyota to consider closing the plant altogether. DiFi and the rest of California's politicos are scrambling to save the 4,700 high-paid union jobs.

And, apparently, DiFi has created a myth for herself that she is competing with (just) Kentucky and Mississippi for these jobs.

To the extent that California is now putting together a set of incentives to convince Toyota to stay—a model pioneered by Southern states—she is correct. And to the extent that Toyota might move the Corolla and Tacoma production to their currently vacant Mississippi plant (which was originally slated to assemble the Prius), she is correct that she's competing against MS. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009073131/toyota-plant-competition-canada-and-mexico