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Ford's most advanced assembly plant operates in rural Brazil
detnews.com ^ | December 6, 2008 | From The Deer Stand

Posted on 12/06/2008 5:58:34 AM PST by From The Deer Stand

While Toyota, Honda and Nissan operate non-union plants without the hassles of the "Big 3" the Ford Motor Company builds an ultra-modern and highly efficient plant in Brazil. Check out the link and watch the short video. You'll be left with the question: why can't they do that here? The answer: unions.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ford
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1 posted on 12/06/2008 5:58:34 AM PST by From The Deer Stand
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To: From The Deer Stand
There are states in these United States where they could do that here and not be Union.

Trouble is, there are all sorts of other very costly regulations, aside from Unions, we have saddled manufacturing with...not to mention the taxes.

2 posted on 12/06/2008 6:00:19 AM PST by Jeff Head (Freedom is not free...never has been, never will be. (www.dragonsfuryseries.com))
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To: From The Deer Stand

One word answers: Lawyers.

US is so laden with regulations, lawsuits, bureaucratic red tape, etc. A company has to worry about the legal costs to build, hire, fire, speak, write, repair, and so on. All for our “protection”. Granted, some regs are necessary. But enough is enough and too much is too much.

Basically, government has figured out how to get it’s piece of the pie, and keeps wanting more.


3 posted on 12/06/2008 6:03:29 AM PST by P.O.E. (Big Government is the opiate of the masses.)
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To: Jeff Head
there are all sorts of other very costly regulations, aside from Unions, we have saddled manufacturing with

Democrats (and some Republicans, let's be honest here) saddle businesses with unsustainable regulations that force them to either go out of business or move to more business friendly locales, then want to punish them for moving their businesses off shore, and get votes for it.

God, the American people are stupid. Sometimes I wonder if the concept of democracy is really tenable after all.

4 posted on 12/06/2008 6:06:45 AM PST by Hardastarboard (Why do I find the Toyota "Saved by Zero" ads so ironic?)
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To: Jeff Head
Trouble is, there are all sorts of other very costly regulations, aside from Unions, we have saddled manufacturing with...not to mention the taxes.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Some of those regulation are needed. You don't recall the time when GM sold cars that they did not treat the metal to prevent rust do you.

5 posted on 12/06/2008 6:16:30 AM PST by org.whodat (Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
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To: org.whodat
I have been driving GM vehicles myself since the late 60s (trucks in hay fields as a young boy) and buying them myslef since the 70s.

My parents, both born in the 1920s drove us around as kids in them in the 50s, in vehicvles made in the 40s.

Fact is, this nation (both libs and RINOs) have gone far, faroverboard with regulations for special interest groups that have driven manufacturers out of this country, not to mention the taxes.

I have never said that ALL regulations were bad...I did say that there were many, many bad ones that drive our manufacturers away.

6 posted on 12/06/2008 6:26:22 AM PST by Jeff Head (Freedom is not free...never has been, never will be. (www.dragonsfuryseries.com))
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To: Hardastarboard

Agreed. There are plenty of RINOs who have joined in the special interest feeding frenzy that has hurt us all.


7 posted on 12/06/2008 6:26:53 AM PST by Jeff Head (Freedom is not free...never has been, never will be. (www.dragonsfuryseries.com))
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To: Hardastarboard
Democrats (and some Republicans, let's be honest here) saddle businesses with unsustainable regulations that force them to either go out of business or move to more business friendly locales, then want to punish them for moving their businesses off shore, and get votes for it.

While some regulations should be re-evaluated, the fact remains that despite all these impediments, foreign car companies seem to have no problem at all building cars in the USA. What I don't get is that the Big 3 do have plants in right-to-work states but they still are unionized.

8 posted on 12/06/2008 6:37:47 AM PST by pnh102 (Save America - Ban Ethanol Now!)
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To: org.whodat
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Some of those regulation are needed. You don't recall the time when GM sold cars that they did not treat the metal to prevent rust do you.

This is an excellent example of why the nanny-state rules are the problem.

Cars rusted in the north due to the salt used on the highways in the winter. If you lived in such a place, you could pay extra and add some rust-proofing to your car. If you don't live in a such a place, you can skip it and save money.

Then, the gummint steps in with the most terrifying words in the english language: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you!"

Now, we all pay for rust-proofing to make the sheet metal last for 10+ years, when all the electrical systems are designed to last for about 4 years.

The same goes for a lot of the government-mandated "features" that all car have, and YOU pay for. Why do I need child safety seat anchors in my car if I don't have a child? A glow-in-the-dark trunk exit handle? Mandatory remote tire pressure sensing systems?

9 posted on 12/06/2008 6:38:01 AM PST by Bryanw92
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To: org.whodat

“Some of those regulation are needed.”

I doubt it.

“You don’t recall the time when GM sold cars that they did not treat the metal to prevent rust do you.”

Actually, I don’t recall the time when the MARKET AS A WHOLE purposely took actions over an extended period of time to hurt itself. Markets don’t do that.

Therefore, markets don’t need regulation.


10 posted on 12/06/2008 6:47:27 AM PST by GoodDay (Palin for POTUS 2012)
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To: From The Deer Stand

Ford and GM are both making money overseas where they’ve got to compete more directly with the foreign makers. The foreign makers are losing money in the US, just like the American makers. The primary difference is that the foreign makers don’t have as big a stake in the US relative to their overall operations, and so they still make a profit while the US makers do not.

So how can this be? Because the US makers must pay the union scale here in the US, while they don’t have that disadvantage overseas.

Like I’ve said from the beginning, all of this is the fault of Congress. Congress wrote the labor laws. Blaming it on the automakers just diverts attention from the real problem.


11 posted on 12/06/2008 6:55:05 AM PST by Brilliant
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To: org.whodat
Why, exactly, do we need regulations requiring that autos be treated for rust? You don't think consumers who live in parts of the country where rust is a problem are capable of asking their dealers whether the car is treated for rust and paying for that feature? Or checking out Consumer Reports to find that sort of information on any number of features that might affect the car's lifespan?

Do we really need a new government regulation every time we have any complaint about some product?

12 posted on 12/06/2008 7:02:58 AM PST by Arguendo
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To: Jeff Head
“There are states in these United States where they could do that here and not be Union. “

No, really they can't. Not even in RTW states.

The master agreement that all the big three must sign, and never expires, states that any big three plant built in America will be covered by the UAW from day one, without need for a vote.

13 posted on 12/06/2008 7:22:09 AM PST by Beagle8U (FreeRepublic -- One stop shopping ....... Its the Conservative Super WalMart for news .)
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To: Arguendo

So why can’t Ford build a plant in the U.S. just like the one in Brazil, even in a state that is “right-to-work”?

The fact is the UAW years ago made it clear to the U.S. based Big Three that if there was any attempt to open a non-union plant in the U.S. they would strike and shut down their most critical sites.

And over the years the it worked to the advantage of the UAW.

They quickly learned that they didn’t have to strike the entire operation (in many states if you go out on strike you can’t claim unemployment). But, if a manufacturer is forced to close an assembly plant because it can’t get critical parts (ie axles) from a smaller plant on strike, those layed-off works often are able to get unemployment.

Just a couple of years ago a company called American Axle was hit with a UAW strike. They are a supplier to GM and other, mostly truck/SUV axles. That strike shut down GM, then GM puts pressure on the supplier to come to terms, etc., etc.

As a footnote, American Axle at one time was part of GM (Gear & Axle, Saginaw Gear). GM spun off that piece of the business 15+ years ago, as they have been doing with many on their other groups (Delphi, etc.)

None of this is working out as they had planned.


14 posted on 12/06/2008 7:23:20 AM PST by Jambe
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To: P.O.E.
Basically, government has figured out how to get it’s piece of the pie, and keeps wanting more.

Pretty much like the unions.

15 posted on 12/06/2008 7:25:33 AM PST by Marauder ("I won't be wronged, I won't be lied to, and I won't be laid a hand on." - J.B. Books)
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To: Arguendo
Rust treatment happens before they are put together not after.
16 posted on 12/06/2008 7:49:09 AM PST by org.whodat (Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
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To: GoodDay
Actually, I don’t recall the time when the MARKET AS A WHOLE purposely took actions over an extended period of time to hurt itself. Markets don’t do that.

Then you must have been asleep for the past six years. Rip Van Winkle !!!!

17 posted on 12/06/2008 8:08:22 AM PST by org.whodat (Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
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To: org.whodat

Fine, that still doesn’t explain why the government must mandate it.


18 posted on 12/06/2008 8:40:24 AM PST by Arguendo
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To: Arguendo
Same reason we need jails..
19 posted on 12/06/2008 8:41:33 AM PST by org.whodat (Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
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To: org.whodat

What does that even mean? We need government regulations to require features that make cars last longer for the same reason we need jails?


20 posted on 12/06/2008 8:44:53 AM PST by Arguendo
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