Ford Layoffs - Bill Ford on CNBC

[sirjohn]

"We will build cars customers want. We will no longer build cars to fill factories"

How un-American is that?

Ford to Cut 25,000 to 30,000 Jobs by 2012

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
The Associated Press
Monday, January 23, 2006; 10:39 AM

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Motor Co., the nation's second-largest automaker, said Monday that it will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 facilities by 2012 as part of a restructuring designed to reverse a $1.6 billion loss last year in its North American operations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/23/AR2006012300339_pf.html

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[Clark2008]

1. Why is that un-American?

While it's true that corporations could save tons of money by pushing for national health insurance and by cutting CEO bonuses, the flip side of that fact is that these corporations also have to make a product people both want and can afford.

I don't find in un-American; although, I do wish corporations would stop cutting off their noses to spite their faces. Who's going to buy their product if they either can't afford it because they have no job or can't afford it because all their disposable income is going toward health care costs?

[Orion The Hunter]

2. RE:

I think one problem with the American Auto Industry, getting to the "buy cars that folks would want", is that it has very little forward vision. I remember back in the mid-90s that GM opted out of developing any sort of hybrids because it believed there would never be such a market for such cars. Look how that decision turned out.

But one problem many automakers have is what to do with the excess capacity it has built up. That is one of the reaons for the plant closings, aside from just the cost savings. Some of the plants may go back online with the future development of new models, after the plants have been retro-fitted.

[sirjohn]

3. Workers pay for the errors of management.

"Legacy costs" translates to bad business model engineered by management.

[leftofthedial]

4. but that's the way they've always done things!

around here.

[snowbear]

5. The Governor of Michigan is on Big Eddie right now..

She's awesome!

Governor Granholm