April 15, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
From Chairman Mike Bullock: There will be 5 more employees recalled from layoff on Monday April 18th. This will leave 73 still on lay off.
From Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. and U.S. safety regulators have agreed to a greatly expanded recall of the best-selling vehicle in North America, the Ford F-150 pickup truck. The recall is for a possible short circuit that could cause airbags to deploy unexpectedly and involves nearly 1.2 million F-150s and some Lincoln Mark LT vehicles, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall covers F-150s from the 2004 to 2006 model years. Previously, 144,000 of the pickup trucks were recalled. The expansion comes after talks between the automaker and safety regulators in Washington. In February, Ford said in a response to safety regulators, "the condition does not present an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety" but agreed to the recall of 144,000 F-150s. Today, Ford said it maintains its previous statement on the issue not being an "unreasonable risk," but agreed to the expanded recall "to reassure customers of Ford's commitment to safety and to eliminate any possible customer confusion."
Here are some comments from two AutoWeek editors who drove the Toyota Camry: ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Getting into a Camry really puts things in perspective. Just think about it. This is what a large portion of the general public flocks to when it comes time to purchase a new car (most likely to replace an old white or beige Camry), and that's just sad….Basically, the Camry has a PhD in mediocrity. Everything from the drivetrain, ride quality, steering, cabin materials to the fit and finish are all middle of the road….There's nothing here to make the Camry noteworthy. Everything is just OK, which is something this carhas actually been praised for in the past. I mean, come on! Praised for just being adequate in the most competitive segment on the market? Not on my watch; EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Friends of my mother-in-law buy a new Camry every few years. I once asked them why they buy Camrys, and I received blank stares. You would have thought I asked them why they buy a GE toaster instead of a KitchenAid. I half expected one to turn to the other and say, "We drive a what?"….. It is an appliance. It is competent. It is achingly dull….It gets the job done, going about its business with zero passion or flair--no more no less….The steering is barely that; slow with no communication back to the driver. The brakes are average. The whole car is, in fact. It's the proverbial C student, and the price on this XLE with all the options is laughably high.($35,267)
Having had to truck their Nissan Leaf cross-country to reach their Connecticut headquarters, Consumer Reports boldly allowed tester Jon Linkov (he actually volunteered) to drive the vehicle home and then to work the next day. Told the range was 60 miles, he felt there would be no problems given his 46 mile commute. As he writes, “You can imagine where this is going”. On his 22.8 mile commute home he “stayed planted in the right-hand lane on the highway in an attempt to avoid impeding traffic flow.” He continues, “During the trip I kept the climate system on the lowest fan setting, with the A/C off, and didn't use the headlights, wipers, or radio. I didn't even charge my cell phone. I tried ECO mode a few times, but the effect is a slight gain in promised range in return for an experience akin to towing a large parachute through molasses.” He arrived with 31 miles left on the charge. Since CR is keeping strict tabs on energy consumption for the Leaf, charging is only allowed at their facility. But he had 9 more miles of range than he needed. What could go wrong? Lonkov writes, “Unlike the previous day, however, the weather was a chilly 42 degrees and pouring rain. I set the headlights on auto, the front wipers on their slowest intermittent setting, and the heat at 68 degrees with the rear-defroster off. After driving the 1.2 miles to daycare, the indicated range had plummeted from 31 down to 22 miles. Nine miles of range dropped in just 1.2 miles of actual driving! Getting on the highway, I knew there was no chance I could drive the Leaf "normally" and hope to make it to work. So I started driving in a self-imposed "running out of gas" mode: steady and slow. At some points I was driving at or just under 50 mph on the highway—below the speed limit and well below the speed of other cars. While I turned the climate system completely off at times, window fogging and general cold temperatures mandated use of the heat and front defroster. About 17 miles from startup, the potential range indicator had become three blinking dashes. I realized I was not going to make it to work, and decided to get off the highway. As I exited the Leaf entered "Turtle" mode, complete with a small, green turtle indicator light. I proceeded to limp the next 1.3 miles into town. The final humiliation came when a highway department mower passedme.”
From the Detroit Free Press: Ford is in the process of laying off nearly 200 temporary workers at the its Dearborn Truck Plant where the Ford F-150 is built. About 120 temporary, or long-term supplemental, employees were laid off between April 7 and April 10 and are not being replaced. Those employees started working at the plant last fall to help Ford launch the 2011 F-150 and were told the assignment would only last a few months, said Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans. Another 70 to 80 temporary employees will be laid off in the coming weeks, she said. Those employees are being replaced with permanent workers Ford is relocating from parts plants that previously were part of Visteon and then brought back into Ford several years ago.
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