GM Edges Toyota in Global Sales in 2007

[ben_meyers]

DETROIT — General Motors retained its global sales crown in 2007 — just barely. It reported worldwide vehicle sales last year of 9,369,000 vehicles, just 3,000 units more than Toyota's total of 9,366,000.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=124482

GM posts record loss of $38.7 billion for 2007

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/12/business/12gm.php

Toyota 2007 Operating profits grew even more, rising 19.2% to $18.7 billion

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2007/05/toyotas_profit.html

And yet we are going to bail out the losers? Somebody please explain this! I'm not smart enough.

[LiberalFighter]

1. Consider that Toyota does not provide a pension, does not provide the same level of health care.

Toyota Japan employees consist of 30% that earn as little as half of permanent employees.

Their supplier companies operate with slave type labor. 200 to 300 of their employees are incapacitated or killed from overwork and stress related illness.

Toyota US pays their employees about $25 an hour with much lower benefits.

There are over 1,800 documented cases of workers injured at Toyota Georgetown in Kentucky. And they are no longer employed there.

They only receive 2 ten minute breaks in addition to their 45 minute lunch break.

Every other week they must alternate shifts. They have mandatory Quality Circle meetings which is unpaid.

Full-time employees pay $3.96 per meal and temporary workers pay around $5.94. GM, Ford, and Chrysler does not offer this type of subsidize meals for their employees. At best they provide cafeterias for their employees who pay the market rate or higher for goods. I learned recently that the cafeteria will be eliminated at the plant.

Japan mandates all overtime to be paid at 1.25 times per hour and night overtime at 1.3 times per hour.

In Japan, Toyota suppliers fire and let go without benefits when the workers are injured. Workers work off the clock to fix mistakes as a result of working the hours under poor conditions.


The Toyota You Don’t Know:
The Race to the Bottom in the Auto Industry
June 2008


Oh yes. Toyota does use slave labor/sweat labor in US production.

[ben_meyers]

2. Ok, you have identified one of the problems

how does bailing out GM change how Toyota operates?

[LiberalFighter]

3. First it is not a bailout. It is a short term "bridge" loan.

Regardless, there has to be equal footing for all automakers. And that would require the following legislation being passed.

Universal single payer health care for one.
Employee Free Choice Act.
Prohibit sweatshop labor.
Prohibit "Right to Work"