Its Official-Toyota pulls the plug

It’s official as Toyota moves production from the unionized Fremont plant to various non-union plants, where Toyota can get their vehicles made with cheap labor and little or no benefits or pensions. It’s another great example of the wonders of free trade, with our manufacturing base in this country being outsourced to foreign soil, or moving to states where companies don’t have to worry about burdens like worker’s rights or decent wages. I am left wondering who is going to buy these expensive cars or trucks once the middle class is finally eliminated in this country.

Read The End of the Line.

Another fire at Gallo Glass!

This fire resulted in the evacuation of the plant. Here is some early reporting:

The Modesto Bee

CBS 13

FOX 40

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California’s last auto plant

This article appeared today in the Modesto Bee, I am linking to the original article in the LA Times. Workers bracing to say goodbye to Toyota auto plant. 3,600 good union jobs will be gone as GM and now it appears Toyota will be leaving the state. I have a friend that works at the NUMMI auto plant in Fremont and now he will be unemployed while part of the GM bailout plan includes a doubling of the vehicles that GM will import from overseas factories to make up the difference. Somebody remind me why it was a good idea to bail out GM just to let 3600 union jobs disappear, not to mention all the other jobs at other plants lost to downsizing. In my opinion the auto bailout has stunk right from the beginning, starting with the Obama administration essentially trying to break the backs of the UAW (United Auto Workers) with his Auto Task Force, demanding concessions in workers’ health benefits and pension funding, not to mention allowing the downsizing. Essentially our government has given GM billions of dollars so they could lay off tens of thousands of workers. William Greider gets it right in Breaking Down the Auto Bailout, an article that appeared in May in The Nation. Here is the Local 2244 in pictures:

California's last remaining auto plant-Photos.