Where to auto workers

 Has become an auto industry workers in the 20th century, the American people the dream of one of the most typical, but the recent financial crisis in the vortex, the dream collapsed with the Detroit with malaise, even according to Toyota, it is difficult to dream into reality
Lund Reagan (Bill Londrigan) Federation of American labor and industry as the ILO (AFL-CIO) a department of the researchers, saw it happen.
then, Honda and Nissan have set up factories in the U.S., members of its non-union workers already have considerable production capacity, so that the correspondent, responsible for negotiations with Toyota to members for automobile manufacturers in this have gained more jobs. Still later, in 1999, he was elected to the American Federation of Labor and Industry President, Kentucky ILO. < br> 2008 年 late winter, the U.S. Harpers magazine contributing editor. Austin (Ben Austen) will visit Lund before Reagan, in his official residence mm away from the office of Frankfurt City, Kentucky, 3 miles outside the two rooms of the desk mm , while he talks with Austin, while constantly flipping it 20 years ago to prepare the negotiations with Toyota, mm cover makes it looks a bit depressing, but look at the content inside is even more belligerent pamphlet said the main thrust of the Japanese auto companies in the United States have formed a vertically integrated supply chain systems that work together, and in many It seems that the U.S. has violated the antitrust laws.
Lund to find out which section of the Reagan refers specifically to Austin to see, and read aloud together.
When the voice of those who cheered and elated look just like the Trojans when you first saw the case r l Trojans. For contemporary Americans, l Beware of Greeks bringing gifts r painful lessons of this history seems to have a warning become heeded, anyway, at least those who have been responsible for economic development in the United States throws away the officials. necessarily a good thing. you guessed how? now l r in front of a long-term. , these is the arrival of Japanese car manufacturers are ecstatic region but also open the door for a high price to pay.
Toyota plant to be able to pull their own sites to 1985, with the other Kentucky When bidding in 35 states, to spend 1.47 billion U.S. dollars of direct investment, which is almost double the earlier price tag of Illinois to attract Mitsubishi, five times in 1980, Tennessee these places, apart from the unlimited support, financial investment and so on, the increasingly weak with only agriculture, lack of competitiveness of small industry and a large number of surplus workers.
Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, after the start , assembly line workers, and no pension and allowances mm These are the United Auto Workers union (UAW) members can enjoy the treatment, but the pay offered by Toyota and Detroit is the standard approach, and much higher than the U.S. industry about an hour $ 8, the average wage.
So when Toyota first released to recruit 3,000 workers in the news, as many as 142,000 people in Kentucky to apply, there are 28,000 people involved in this last two and a half rounds of elimination fight. < br> As carefully selected are more younger, more careful and non-union labor contract, so the operation of Japanese car manufacturers than the United States, more flexible competitors.
example, Ford and General Motors factories, the number of light have different job classification hundreds, the number is 3 in the Toyota, and in the Marysville Honda plant in Ohio, the figure is 2.
Since most employees do not sign with the union, so Japanese companies based on their employees need to be replaced at any time. tooling and other skilled trades outsourcing, making it easier for the company's management control, temporary increase or decrease the flexibility according to market demand fluctuations.
In such cases Next, since 1986, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler have collectively lost U.S. market 1 / 4 of the territory, its share from 72% to 46% of the end of 2008, even in 2009, Cress Le and GM to seek bankruptcy protection before the number since 1985, the so-called Big Three have already cut a total of 500,000 hourly workers.
and universal mm in the past half a century, this is proudly the largest companies in the U.S. also gradually lose their glory, in its 1970s peak, GM employs 395,000 union members working for the nation's 150 plants. And the financial crisis, the two figures were 38,000 and shrinking to 34 .
disadvantages for common development, we almost always referred to an annual 50 billion U.S. dollars universal health care and other benefits of fixed costs, much the same rhetoric, is that the union insisted that, in order to cover these costs, GM had to each vehicle to increase the prices of $ 1,600, resulting in loss of price competitiveness of products.
However, this statistic is misleading, because U.S. automakers are running surprisingly low efficiency, far more than the payment of labor welfare stumbling.
in the past 20 years, three major U.S. research and development of new, more efficient spending on fuel-efficient cars than their foreign competitors, much less, they are more willing to put more focus on manufacturing large SUV and pickup vehicles.
in cost management, should also review their general in 2007, GM's 13,650 U.S. dealers, the average home sold only 280 cars, with the corresponding, Toyota 1,450 U.S. dealers, the average performance is 1800.
cause for regret devastated Detroit, signs of gradual recovery since then gives a glimmer of hope, Ben. Austin decided to go to Kentucky Toyota plant in Georgetown, he personally proud to see the original model of American car manufacturers are experiencing the challenges and how the suffering.
Lost World
built in 1986, Georgetown, Kentucky plant is Toyota's largest plant outside Japan. three decades east, west three years, and now Toyota, not General Motors, to set standards for the industry was.
UAW contract in accordance with the standards of the factory, the wages of veterans remained at $ 28 per hour , in the Georgetown Toyota plant, the old employees can get more than $ 26 per hour, but in the new plant Japanese companies, the situation is not always the case.
Antonio Tiansheng An abundance of new plants, the highest hourly wage of workers is 20 dollars, Honda in the recently opened plant in Greensburg, Indiana, this figure even lower, the workers can get 18 dollars an hour at most. In fact, in the U.S. auto industry, all non-union contract manufacturers for the full-time employees The average salary offer of about 13-14 dollars, and this standard has also been recognized by the U.S. auto companies and adopted.
sluggish with the collapse of Detroit is the American dream mm had to become a industrial workers is in the country people in the 20th century, one of the most typical dreams.
Ford and UAW since 1914, the cost of living increase every year around the negotiations and announced the $ 5 daily wage workers, minimum wage, go to the auto industry up the development capacity of a blue-collar workers characterization.
Since then, the United States has been the introduction of minimum wage standards, and over time the constant increase in the minimum wage level, especially from 1947 to 1973, real income of auto workers doubled.
but later as the Some automobile plants shut down and the abolition of work, and the UAW contract re-negotiations and the conditions of the stock exchange greatly reduced income, many people began to slowly wake up from a dream.
UAW's membership began to decline from 1979 mm fell to 150 million years to 46 million in 2008, and this trend is continuing to spread, and the future of the United States as the three major trade unions of the future is also an unresolved question.
Austin sitting in Lund Reagan's office, the old man very much hope that some excitement in Austin to listen to him talk about the current situation of negotiations that field.
the beginning, that was between the unions and the negotiation of the Toyota Georgetown plant to an impasse.
At that meeting, 11 union representatives sat there, across the negotiating table the representatives of Toyota, in addition to silence, or silence.
suddenly, like the representatives of trade unions has been a tacit understanding, we began orderly release of the neck tie, said it taut forehead, and then tie a knot to back of the head to one side.
; Lund returned to the time that Reagan seemed proud feelings, and trade unions shake hands, although the meeting was the beginning of a protracted battle, Lund Reagan that we always treat each other equally.
Toyota agreed to employ union workers, and Honda also agreed at its engine plant in Ohio to the union membership arrangement positions.
But in 2009, this victory and glory seems to have become a distant later, Reagan has described Lund story sounds like a legend, we see it as more of a hopeful era for the memory of mm In fact, the very image of those who love Michael. Keaton (Michael Keaton) in the movie plot.
film, union workers and the brave Americans took over the factory from the rigid Japanese battle of wits, and then slowly mutual understanding, mutual appreciation, and finally, trade unions, workers, businesses, cities and with the automotive industry achieve win-win ideal, the film's tagline is the director of concentrated idealism mm 1300 acres, the surrounding supporting mature, there are 10 hotels, several shopping malls and some real estate development projects, three Wal-Mart also were built to the Toyota plant in the former, this place would never have thought of today prosperous.
whites in Virginia to the search for settlements that time, Georgetown, everywhere covered with a thick rattan wood, walnut burr and the whole body is full of some bushes, when Virginia was still here and people may natives Shawnee tribes (Shawnee) encountered.
a century, farmers and their slaves in this vast land to grow marijuana, tobacco, cattle grazing. And today, here again, product of a year out from Toyota to open about 50 million vehicles, including the Camry (Camrys), Avalon (Avalons) and Venzas.
, of course, with many car companies, Toyota in 2008, suffered financial crisis, its U.S. sales fell about 40%, and in 2009 published the first half of the first 70 years of losses, but this does not prevent it is still the world's most competitive car manufacturers .
plant in Georgetown, the. the eyes of the assembly line in Austin, as a 80-year-old put on hold, speed slower than in the past nearly 40%.
l from time to time ask yourself this production line is not really gone? r efficiency and productivity. Now, under the influence of the financial crisis and reduce the natural rate of production is also out of consideration in this regard.
soon, something caused the attention of Austin.
a ball wearing a University of Kentucky basketball team Young workers clothing sitting in the production line ramp slow-moving carriage, later, a huge mechanical arm again and sent him to another car in an assembly line. and the other new stuff, looks like a safe fishing boat seat, it can send the workers within a few seconds to a car next to any window, but the workers simply did not need to move the body.
assembly line work is not difficult, but to a few repeated operation within hours hundreds of times and, indeed, be enough, so the use of such equipment, not only can reduce the consumption of workers and physical, but also can save the station time.
in the workshop, to see the plant president Steve Austin St.. Angelo (Steve St. Angelo), this has just been appointed in recent American Toyota executives, is the Toyota management elite minority of 50 non-Japanese staff. Austin was told that Angelo embodied Toyota's Georgetown plant is the unique democratic culture.
Toyota plant in North America did not give management personnel made available for individual parking spaces, bathrooms and canteens, executives and front-line workers are dressed the same and enjoy the same treatment . because in addition to continuous improvement or lean these well-known content, Toyota is the second important principle of respect for human beings.
Georgetown plant facilities, including credit unions, pharmacy, fitness center, picnic area, 24-hour child care services, and memorial sites, the names of the deceased employee had been engraved on a marble monument, which is part of the commitment on employees. won the hearts of these practices, the workers are willing to devote themselves to this, And for those trying to incite bad feelings in the factory practice ignoring.
Toyota has claimed that its workers can participate in decision-making, open communication and team leadership, and Angelo have the opportunity to share ideas at the round table. < br> well-known case is the pull of a classic light, not already done? . Everhart (Eric Everhart) is the engine assembly line, a foreman, he and his wife have been working here for 20 years, they have 4 children's childhood spent in the Georgetown plant nursery. Toyota was a pro. One is called Renee. Brown (Renee Brown) of the women had DQ in eastern Kentucky ice cream company, 10 years ago, the identity of temporary workers into her Toyota, three years later, she officially became a wholly workers.
Toyota Georgetown plant has an unwritten rule, the temporary workers hired after two years, will be provided at that time returned to the service of temporary staff, in order to become full-time workers is unlikely. This requirement was established in 2003, when the Toyota because of the use of temporary workers for up to five or six years and of wide public criticism.
In her view, although the temporary instability, to full-time is unlikely, but still worth a try, no doubt, she is a small number of winners.
not Sunday, Every day.
February of this year, Georgetown plant announced a cut executive pay, elimination of overtime and bonuses, and started buying employee shares. Even worse, the company's total workers, about 1 / 10 of the 650 temporary workers pack up and go home. Austin asked how do you view
Everhart layoffs this, but he did not seem upset.
is a disaster,
2007, the Georgetown factory workers suddenly be required to pay a portion of their health insurance, the same year, an internal report was leaked to the Detroit Free Press (Detroit Free Press), this report plans to cut hourly wages should Kentucky close to the average wage level of workers.
fact, similar changes in the financial crisis that began before the arrival of Georgetown plant has canceled a number of advocates in the Toyota culture, some small benefits. example, this year in April, It is part of the working group to cancel lunch subsidies, and Everhart in Austin a few weeks after meeting, he got the news, Everhart free learning in the factory is about to end.
Toyota's bigger picture
in a temperature below 40 degrees on Saturday morning, Austin spent 20 minutes drive from Georgetown to Lexington, where he spent a number of Toyota workers make their own bubble in the icy water, items for the Special Olympics to raise good winter swimming section.
Kentucky he thought a natural venue for winter swimming mm floating mist lakes, secluded swimming pool or the mountains surrounding the valley full of ups and downs.
the contrary, activity in a crowded mm at the restaurant where the cowboy has a circular diameter of 15 feet of the pool, nearby shopping malls and some of the other projects can be covered up corporate identity. About Toyota more than 20 employees, uniforms, gathered at the restaurant next to the company tents.
when Toyota was announced as the sponsor of Special Olympics winter swimming program, there are more than 200 audience politely applauded, and when Steve St.. Angelo put a check printed with $ 14,459 poster board submitted to the Games Organizing Committee, the louder the applause more.
like many other companies, Toyota understand that only good public relations and also take care of business, to better access to development opportunities. At first, This car company has just moved to Georgetown, the local residents are worried that the new plant will harm their small place in the way of life, so Toyota is facing trade unions and local governments from Double Trouble, Toyota must work hard to prove that the development will be for the local bring business opportunities to other businesses and to improve the living standard of local people.
so Toyota invited local dignitaries attended the completion ceremony of the factory, and donated to the Georgetown City 10 white Camry. Then it was announced out $ 1,000,000 to this small city as a gift, the money used to buy the old one the old convent, and put it into a community center.
when the president of the Cho Ren Fengtian bought in Georgetown house, and joined several local community organizations, and his son become a college student at Georgetown University, he soon persuaded the Cincinnati Bengals (Cincinnati Bengals, National Football team) to their summer school training.
In addition, Toyota also asked the factory to build outside the city in Georgetown, so a number of other projects for the city to help.
the street, those aluminum facades of buildings demolished , there seems to be back Victorian town, laying wire from the ground, neatly assemble on the sidewalk bricks, graffiti can not see traces of the.
That criticism of Toyota's first local major newspapers, but also could not help but to Toyota lot of praise.
donor site in the winter swimming program, Austin saw three Japanese man standing next to the parking lot, he stepped forward to say hello. At Toyota, all managers must attend at least once a year in volunteer activities, so they three choices in the day.
three Japanese living in Lexington, one of them praised the Kentucky people are very friendly, while the other two nodded, but interesting is that during the event, Austin did not see them with any colleagues or local greeting.
onlookers in the pool, found a Steve Austin St.. Angelo's shadow, he stepped forward to chatting with them, Angelo Austin is simply to recall the cars of their own career.
Initially, he was only 18 years old, has been working in general, was once responsible for the general management of the factory in Michigan.
Before coming to Georgetown, Angelo some independence in Fremont, California factory work experience, this is a GM and Toyota joint venture plant, GM, once closed it, then restart the factories of Toyota, Chevrolet Novas and Corolla production, while GM is still responsible for sales.
Fremont quickly become one of the most efficient car factory, this success encouraged to innovate to meet the general requirements for products mm1985 Japan, the Saturn model successfully developed.
the birth of Saturn the history of U.S. labor relations brought a new atmosphere.
at GM Spring Hill, Tennessee Saturn plant was built, according to a separate agreement with the UAW contracts, employers and employees to cooperate at all levels. workers self-management, and elect their own leaders. The most fundamental change is that, Saturn plant's management of each employer, trade union representatives can participate in organizational planning, including dealers, suppliers and shareholders relationship.
Saturn factory test failure, would be a terrible shame. made great efforts to effectively change the process of labor relations in the United States. largest car dealer Penske Automotive Group (Penske Automotive Group.)
In fact, Saturn test mode as early as the decline has been from the inside.
year in the Spring Hill employees find work, their union representatives and can not be achieved the interests of enterprises and workers win. and even many workers, said in an interview, the participation of representatives of trade unions to extract more labor is a management tool.
1998, the ordinary workers and employers agreed that union representatives reached a close agreement, and therefore the production of Saturn transferred from Tennessee to Delaware after the general's old plant, the pilot further into trouble, the majority of workers signed a general shift of the main contract with the UAW.
Angelo told Austin, actually in the Toyota Georgetown plant, non-union organizations, some of the a natural extension of culture, the region almost every committee or industrial development organizations are Toyota employees.
If you do not like organizations like trade unions, decision-making will become more difficult, because we are not negotiating with several representatives, but the face of thousands of workers. we can make better decisions faster, but will have to consider the on the team, the impact companies and communities. l We do not want to lose money, but we can understand, and we pray for you. r hear, this is what they say, l we pray for you r. tears, a worker is writing a book, the content is what it means to him, Toyota, when the Angelo chapter is completed, the workers gave him a look. tears, it is really touching. Exploration can Institute of experience in secondary manufacturing the high efficiency of Toyota Production System.
In addition, Toyota has also contributed to Japan's Waseda University Institute of Technology built into the Georgetown branch. Although there is no place of their regular school, But it can take advantage of the Toyota factory maintenance training facilities and open space classes.
any College examination by high school students manufacturers can gain access to the service class for two-year scholarship.
gold. Childers (Gene Childress) with a visit to Austin, Toyota to manage the Institute to manufacturing, to the University of Technology to work until the time staff employed is about to retire, and when the factory in 1996 to expand their business to recruit workers, Toyota found that for every 100 applicants, only one person to adapt to the Toyota culture.
showed in the chir Childress notes in Austin There are many well-known figures from Toyota, including Taiichi Ohno, who is the father of the Toyota production system.
a pattern of behavior and help them define the problems and difficulties in relying on collective efforts to solve them. If so it seems, than the program's simple Zai Toyota ready to work much more, through these courses, students can better thinking and more adept at working in teams.
some American. female teacher Diana. Lloyd (Dianne Lloyd) tells Austin, this course has been started from kindergarten. end of the course, check all their shoulder Lloyd responsibilities and problem-solving results. When she asked who was Members of this team, the entire class in unison: is very subtle. , a private company such as Toyota in particular, the influential business, if the establishment of the school curriculum will affect the teaching program. But when the teachers themselves felt , the those who have said he spoke with Toyota to share their innovation and success are good.
.
Childers picked up a 6-inch Toyota Land Cruiser Cars and carefully looked into. His face is 18 mm high school students a two-nine to all members of the assembly line.
What the final product, ah, a chassis, wheels or steering system. too tight. simulate the work of each station to prepare mm body, glass, accessories and finishing touches, etc., more importantly, Childers will be costing each station, and it will record vehicle defects.
from now Examination two weeks, in the exam, these students have to manage through the application of automation and billboards to get the credit.
simulated assembly line is that all students in the school curriculum in the climax, in this practice, they will be applied Toyota concept to try to lower production costs. students will form a double-nine set, and then simultaneously, to achieve the lowest cost per vehicle to compete, to win the right to enjoy lunch first.
When students get together to re- Before examining the assembly process, Childers told them: complete the task within the specified time, others will have to do what the rest of the time.
has been wasted and needs to reduce the number of assigned work,
Childers busy training in a simulated assembly line of Toyota's future needs for skilled workers also told the students, this downturn in the current economic situation, and perhaps the future and uncertainties that arduous work is the best work.
However, some of the old Georgetown plant workers apparently do not recognize the view, they like more secure life, in fact, many workers in Georgetown, hoping to set up trade unions.
In the factory a mile away from the UAW's second floor office building in Austin and some of them face to face chat representatives.
in this room, four walls of the wall, or even from floor to ceiling, filled with Georgetown the names of all full-time factory workers and whether they have a tendency to form trade unions, UAW, said the staff of Austin, with about 150 workers who have regular contact.
However, this is not an easy thing. automotive industry decline and the overall unemployment rate higher than any time since 1983, most workers and their employers do not want to fall out. ... While the factories will not