Toyota moves from Ca to Tx: When are bluestates going to actively fight job poachers?

[Savannahmann]

104. Indeed?

The Kia had a better warranty, 100k miles opposed to 36k miles. But even if I had lain that aside, if the prices had been somewhat comparable, then the Ford would have been a better choice. But the prices weren't close to equal. Now, this is money that I work for, I sweat for, I get aches and pains for. This is not money that comes easily, and it's not something that is done casually.

The next decision, Ford didn't offer a Mini-van, the closest I could come was the explorer, which wouldn't work because the wife is handicapped, and can't climb up into the SUV, or down into a car, the mini-van seat is at the best level for her to ease into it. Dodge offered one, but it was a disaster of a machine with poor ratings in many catagories. Chevrolet offered huge vans, far outside of our needs. How disloyal am I now? The companies in question didn't offer a vehicle that met my needs in the slightest. But we will continue.

The Ford Fusion is built in Mexico, you can confirm the percentage of American made here. The Ford Fusion is roughly speaking 20% american made. The Chevrolet Cruze is about 40% American made.

But let's take a moment and consider the import cars. Let's take a look at the Toyota Prius. It's built only in Japan. But it is shipped over here on a boat. The boat is guilded to the dock by tugboats and by Harbor Pilots. They are all Americans, and part of a union. The boat is unloaded by the International Longshoremen's unions. ILA on the East Coast, the ILWA on the West. The cars are then loaded onto truck driven by drivers, a good many are Teamsters, or rail cars handled by people who are in the Rail Road union.

The van I bought from Toyota that was built in Indiana was 70% American made. That means that the remaining 30% parts were shipped in by truck and rail. Again Teamsters and railroad union. Then the completed cars were shipped by rail and truck, once again teamsters and railroad unions.

Now do you see my obvious question? Why are we unconcerned about the ILA, ILWA, Teamsters, Railroad Union workers? What makes their efforts less worthy than those of a union around Detriot? The workers in the other plants, like Volkswagen, have the right to vote, and they do. If they choose to be a part of the Union, I admire and support their choice. If they choose against it, I may raise an eyebrow at them, questioning their wisdom, but I am not going to announce that their decision requires me to boycott them. Only the actions of the people that are unsupportable, in other words effect the rights of the people would I take such actions in response to a vote, which is why I am still boycotting as many California things as I possibly can. The majority of the voters passed Prop 8, and because the AG did the right and IMO constitutional thing in not defending that abomination, does not mean that the proof appears to be that a majority of Californian Citizens are Homophobic and opposed to equal rights for all people.

Yes, the Unions have done a lot of really great things in the past. the problem is the present, and the future. Safety regulations under OSHA are often as stringent, if not more so, than Union requirements. The ILWA slowed down their work during a contract dispute and said that without a contract they had to work to OSHA standards. Standards for truck drivers are now law, and managed by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. These standards are enforced by "Diesel Bears" or State Police who specialize in Commercial Truck regulation enforcement. I know, I was a truck driver. Discrimination is enforced by many laws, both state and federal, via the courts and the labor boards in the states. OSHA can shut a factory down if safety is ignored. Labor Laws are both federal, and state. Breaks, lunches, and numbers of hours worked are all legislated now, and no longer can the sweat shops of yesteryear exist. The only exception may be those that operate using undocumented workers, but even those are falling out of favor.

I've worked in Union Shops, and non union shops. They both have the exact same posters up on the wall telling me my rights under the law in case I'm injured at work. They both have the same lines painted to show where safety equipement must be worn. They both have the same overtime rules. The same breaks apply to both places. The reason both are the same is the law requires employers to put those posters up, and provide those benefits to the workers.

Teamsters are active in Texas. The ILA unloads and loads ships in Texas. The railroad workers in Texas, are union. Why should I punish those union workers because the only one not present is the UAW? Why is it patriotic to punish the Union Workers who are active in the state because one union isn't there? The UAW could be there, but the workers would have to say yes, they want them there. Many people feel as I have described above, that they would get little from the Union, and it's not my job to change their minds, it's the job of the Union to show they are relevent. The ILA, Teamsters, and Railroad unions manage to demonstrate their relevence to the workers. If the ILA is unable to do so to those who matter, those who are in a position to vote, then that is not anyones fault but mine.

But let's take that to Chattanooga shall we? " target="_blank">Volkswagen has the only car plant in the world to get the Platinum certification for environmental policy. They have thirty acers of solar panels. They use a revolutionary system to capture overspray of the painting process. They have used high efficiency LED lights, motion sensors to turn lights off when not in use. They landscaped with native plants that were hardy enough to survive without excess watering. They saved a creek that was drowning in trash, and insulated the building exceptionally well. They capture rainwater and use it in the industrial process and in toilets, thus saving millions of gallons of water from the city. As one who is concerned about Global Warming, shouldn't I support those companies that are taking the available technology and techniques and support them?

Or am I supposed to shun a company that invested $1 Billion in environmentally friendly technology because the UAW isn't there in favor of a factory that pollutes more but has the right union?