Job Destruction Newsletter

[Hengst]

Personally, I find the contraction of US auto manufacturing to be very distressing. Can some one PLEASE tell me..... Is there ANYTHING manufactured in the US anymore ? ..... anything?


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JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
January 23, 2006 No. 1403
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The big news today is the Ford announcement that they will cut 30,000 jobs
and shut down at least 14 production plants. What you won't see in most of
these news stories is any connection between what is happening at Ford in
the U.S. versus what is happening in countries such as China, India, and
Thailand. Sometimes I have to wonder whether most reporters are so stupid
they can't connect these events together, or whether our press is so
corporatized that they have instructions not to publicize bad news about
the sorry state of our economy that could cause social unrest. It doesn't
take a genius to figure out what is going on at Ford and GM.

For reporters who don't have time to read the news much less to write it
objectively let me make it real simple - Ford is closing plants in the
United States and terminating the employment of thousands of highly paid
American workers while at the same time they are investing billions of
dollars in overseas production facilities - and they are hiring foreign
workers as fast as they can find them and train them.

CASE IN POINT: In 2003, Bill Ford, chairman and chief executive officer of
Ford Motor Company, went to China and announced that Ford was going to
invest over $1.5 billion in Chinese production facilities. Today he is
telling American workers that, "We will be making painful sacrifices to
protect Ford's heritage and secure our future."

So who is the "we" that Bill Ford is talking about? Obviously not himself
or the other fat-cats who are making bundles of bucks at Ford. The first
article included from Reuters is very typical - they talk about the
"deepening financial crisis" that Ford is suffering, and then in the very
next few paragraphs talk about how Ford made over $2 billion in 2005 while
their stock shot up by 4.4%. It appears that the American workforce is
being sacrificed on the altar of Ford's profit hungry job executioners.

Ford's own website is very useful to find out where they are spending all
of that money they will save by closing down U.S. production facilities. I
found these nuggets in a few minutes at the Ford website:

* Over $1 billion in China

* $500 million in Thailand. According to other news sources Ford's
investment in Thailand is more likely to be about $2 billion.

* $75 million in India


Don't let Ford fool you like the way most U.S. reporters are snowed - these
foreign production facilities are not being built to sell to local markets
as much as they are to export to the U.S. To read more about this swindle
read Alan Tonelson's "Race to the Bottom" or "End of the Line" by Barry C.
Lynn. Since you might not have those books handy, let's allow Ford to
explain how it works:


* Ford announces that Thailand was the largest vehicle exporter during the
1st quarter of 2005. More than 70% of the following vehicles were built for
export, mainly to the U.S.: Ranger 4X2 Hi-Rider Active and Ranger 4X4
Automatic.

* Ford Motor Company’s President and chief operating officer Jim Padilla
hailed Thailand as a key production hub for one-tonne pickups.

* President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines gave Ford an award
for being their top exporter. In 2003 Ford exported $450 million worth of
cars and trucks.


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Material Used for this Newsletter
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http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarti...usiv&storyID=20
06-01-23T140752Z_01_WAA000156_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-AUTOS-FORD-EARNS-DC.XML
Ford 4th-qtr profit up 19 pct, auto losses shrink


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=108540
Ford Plans $1 Billion Asia-Pacific Investment


http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?...d={693D643E%2
D3ED0%2D4F62%2DAFEB%2D4AE021BA3760%7D
Ford cuts 30,000 jobs, shuts 14 plants
Automaker aims to cut costs by $6 billion by 2010


http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html/modul...ad&name=News&fi
le=article&sid=26167
Ford Achieves Record Sales, Fast Expansion in China


http://www.conway.com/ssinsider/snapshot/sf040301.htm
Ford Accelerating $1.5-Billion Chinese Expansion Plan


http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=20544
FORD PHILIPPINES WINS AWARD FOR EXPORT PROGRAM


http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=21854
CHANGAN FORD COMPLETES PRODUCTION CAPACITY EXPANSION TO 150,000 UNITS


http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=22210
PADILLA ANNOUNCES ACCELERATION OF FORD’S INVESTMENT PLAN IN THAILAND


http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=21901
FORD COMMITS $75 MILLION TO SUPPORT FURTHER GROWTH IN INDIA


http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=20841
AUTOALLIANCE THAILAND IS LARGEST VEHICLE EXPORTER DURING FIRST QUARTER OF
2005


http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_dis...m?release=22196
FORD PRESIDENT JIM PADILLA AFFIRMS THAILAND’S IMPORTANCE AS KEY
PRODUCTION HUB FOR ONE-TONNE PICKUP TRUCKS

 

[manny78]

1- Ford is crap. Except for the GT, Mustang V8 and probably the Explorer, the rest aint shit compared to japanese stuff.

2- Their structure is not cost-effective. While a Toyota plant will have at most, 30 job definition, Ford with their amazing labor contract has hundreds, making any change in the production a painfull task.

3- Unions. It's just too expensive to build cars over here. Face it.

 

[WODIN]

War is job 1!