Feb. 25, 2010
From Chairman Mike Bullock: Yesterday the conveyor continued to run past line time in main trim. This was due to a PLC issue that would allow the conveyor to continue running at 5:30.This has been corrected. Everyone affected will be paid 11.1 hours.
The announcement of the 3rd shift for Lordstown means an additional 1200 jobs here. Production of the Cruze will begin in the 3rd quarter. Lordstown is in the Midwest Region along with all other Ohio plants as well as all Michigan and Indiana plants. There are currently between 5000 and 6000 laid off GM employees according to GM VP Manufacturing Diana Tremblay.
Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines pulled out of the deal to buy the Hummer brand from General Motors. The price was reportedly $150 million. Tengzhong failed to get clearance from Chinese regulators within the proposed timeframe for the sale. GM plans to wind down the brand. No mention of the fate of the Shreveport plant, which builds the Hummer H3 and H3T.
From Automotive News: The U.S. headquarters of three Japan-based automotive
suppliers -- all of them with ties to Toyota Motor Corp. -- were searched by FBI agents Tuesday in connection with an international anti-trust investigation. The raids are unrelated to the recalls. "The anti-trust division is investigating the possibility of anti-competitive cartel conduct of automotive electronic components suppliers,” said Gina Talamona, deputy director of public affairs for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. "We are coordinating with the European Commission and other foreign competition authorities."
Toyota’s Jim Lentz set new standards for sidestepping questions Tuesday:How many Toyotas will be on the road without a new retrofit to the braking system? "I can't tell you exactly."; What has independent testing of Toyota's electronic throttle-control system shown? "I don't know specifically of the results of the tests."; Please tell me the date that Toyota first heard of incidents of sudden acceleration in its vehicles sold in the U.S. "I don't know the answer to that,"; Please tell me the date on which Toyota commenced the first recall to address this problem in the U.S. "If I don't know the answer to the first one, I don't know the answer to the second one."
Bravo!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
State of the Union February 24, 2010
From President Gary Style:
Applications to the 2010 Walter & May Reuther UAW Summer Scholarship Program at Black Lake are available at the Union Hall. Anyone interested should stop by the hall and fill one out or turn it in by May 27 for selection. This is for you and your family and is an excellent experience. You are eligible to apply if you are a UAW member in good standing for one year, an active member and willing to contribute your time. Past participants are not eligible to reapply. As in the past, NO LOST TIME WILL BE PAID. There will be three sessions: July 11 – 16; July 18 – 23(available in Spanish); and July 25 – 30.
From Automotive News: Hyundai America Inc. today ordered a halt to sales of the 2011 Sonata after notifying dealers that front door-lock modules on some cars can stick under some circumstances. There are currently only about 5,000 cars in U.S. inventory, and about 1,300 have been sold.
If Toyota Sales Pres. Jim Lentz was supposed to clear up all the confusion about sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles and reassure customers yesterday with his testimony, he gets a D-. Some of his less than clear comments: asked whether 70% of the sudden acceleration cases are unexplained he said,
"That is probably fair to say. There are many factors that lead to it."; asked whether the floor mat and gas pedal recalls will eliminate sudden acceleration he said “not totally” adding that Toyota was not "completely certain" that it knew all the causes. "There are so many different causes." and finally, when asked if there are any more "bombshells" coming from the company, he said, "God I hope that there aren’t anymore." Now that inspires confidence, doesn’t it?
Applications to the 2010 Walter & May Reuther UAW Summer Scholarship Program at Black Lake are available at the Union Hall. Anyone interested should stop by the hall and fill one out or turn it in by May 27 for selection. This is for you and your family and is an excellent experience. You are eligible to apply if you are a UAW member in good standing for one year, an active member and willing to contribute your time. Past participants are not eligible to reapply. As in the past, NO LOST TIME WILL BE PAID. There will be three sessions: July 11 – 16; July 18 – 23(available in Spanish); and July 25 – 30.
From Automotive News: Hyundai America Inc. today ordered a halt to sales of the 2011 Sonata after notifying dealers that front door-lock modules on some cars can stick under some circumstances. There are currently only about 5,000 cars in U.S. inventory, and about 1,300 have been sold.
If Toyota Sales Pres. Jim Lentz was supposed to clear up all the confusion about sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles and reassure customers yesterday with his testimony, he gets a D-. Some of his less than clear comments: asked whether 70% of the sudden acceleration cases are unexplained he said,
"That is probably fair to say. There are many factors that lead to it."; asked whether the floor mat and gas pedal recalls will eliminate sudden acceleration he said “not totally” adding that Toyota was not "completely certain" that it knew all the causes. "There are so many different causes." and finally, when asked if there are any more "bombshells" coming from the company, he said, "God I hope that there aren’t anymore." Now that inspires confidence, doesn’t it?
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