Ford to make Fiesta in Mexico

[Critic]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080529/ford_fiesta.html?.v=1

 

The decision is a blow to unionized U.S. plants. Earlier this year, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said the union would try to convince Ford that its U.S. plants were competitive enough that the automaker could make money building its smallest cars in the U.S. Currently, all subcompacts sold in the U.S. are built overseas, he said.

 

Messages seeking comment were left with Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Flake and UAW spokesman Roger Kerson.

[TIGER66]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080529/ford_fiesta.html?.v=1

The uaw gives away our benefits hand over foot and tells us we have no choice and this is what we get in return. Get ready for 14$ an hour and the uaw says take it or leave it. ps your dues are going to 4 hours pay. MY kid could do better.

[Captain723]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080529/ford_fiesta.html?.v=1

 

I hope they keep screwing around....they will be building all their vehicles in Mexico, because we will be on strike!!!

[TIGER66]

I hope they keep screwing around....they will be building all their vehicles in Mexico, because we will be on strike!!!

Im buying a toyota made in usa. :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet:

[Captain723]

Im buying a toyota made in usa. :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet:

If you are from the US then you need to buy an american made car from an american company. The money you spend on a foriegn auto all the profits go to another country. A country that is probably going to kill us with in. Buying up all our land....buying all our banks....hell we are paying interest on the american dollar right now to China!! Don't go there!! Hey did you sign up for the new site?

[Litng1]

If this is true Im just about done buying Fords.I work for Ford LAP and have owned nothing but Fords my whole life and this is how Im repaid.I will be buying a toyota in the future.

[TIGER66]

If you are from the US then you need to buy an american made car from an american company. The money you spend on a foriegn auto all the profits go to another country. A country that is probably going to kill us with in. Buying up all our land....buying all our banks....hell we are paying interest on the american dollar right now to China!! Don't go there!! Hey did you sign up for the new site?

Can you not see that we are being sold out by ford and the uaw? If you study history you will see this is not new; steal, auto's, clothes, electronics, etc. Hell even the whores are slant-eyes. :happy feet: :happy feet:

[Captain723]

If this is true Im just about done buying Fords.I work for Ford LAP and have owned nothing but Fords my whole life and this is how Im repaid.I will be buying a toyota in the future.

I am certain you will be fine down in LAP.

[TIGER66]

Can you not see that we are being sold out by ford and the uaw? If you study history you will see this is not new; steal, auto's, clothes, electronics, etc. Hell even the whores are slant-eyes. :happy feet: :happy feet:

Maybe they will give a free taco to all uaw members in the U.S. for buying their cars.

[Captain723]

Can you not see that we are being sold out by ford and the uaw? If you study history you will see this is not new; steal, auto's, clothes, electronics, etc. Hell even the whores are slant-eyes. :happy feet: :happy feet:

They are ramping up steel plants in the US...unfortunately it will be 2 yrs before they are ready to start producing. We, the american blue collar, need to stay strong against this foreign invasion. I have learned to look at where the items I buy are made from. If there is a China and american made product of which I am purchasing I make sure I choose the american made product. It is tough especially with kids toys. Just being conscience of looking at where things are made makes a difference!!

[Captain723]

Maybe they will give a free taco to all uaw members in the U.S. for buying their cars.

[/img]

[TIGER66]

They are ramping up steel plants in the US...unfortunately it will be 2 yrs before they are ready to start producing. We, the american blue collar, need to stay strong against this foreign invasion. I have learned to look at where the items I buy are made from. If there is a China and american made product of which I am purchasing I make sure I choose the american made product. It is tough especially with kids toys. Just being conscience of looking at where things are made makes a difference!!

The pay that the steel workers are getting are half of what they were. The companies and the union are still getting theirs

[NLPRacing]

Im buying a toyota made in usa. :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet:

 

I hope you're happy in your American "assembled" Toyota...

 

If this is true Im just about done buying Fords.I work for Ford LAP and have owned nothing but Fords my whole life and this is how Im repaid.I will be buying a toyota in the future.

 

You work at a Ford plant, but you're going to buy a Toyota because Ford is going to assemble an econo shitbox in Mexico? Good choice! Let me know how working for Toyota at half your current pay works out for you...

 

 

Seriously people, did anybody honestly think Ford would have built a "B" size vehicle in the USA? I mean really? Does anybody else build one here? The answer is NO, not Kia, not Hyundai, not Toyota, not Honda, etc. It makes sense to assemble it in Mexico. They will be able to export all over Central & South America due to Mexico's free trade agreements in addition to selling here and Canada. Hey, at least it's not being made in China...

 

Ford has many new "C", "CD" & "D" size vehicles in the pipeline. I believe most of them will be assembled here in the USA (nothing to back that up, just a gut feeling).

[Litng1]

NLPracing

Ive bought nothing but Fords for 20 plus years and my dad 37 years before that.I am sick of them closing out plants only to open up ones out of the country.Its not just the econo crap boxes mexico makes its our midsize also.Im just very angry!

Toyota pays there people close to us not half.

[ViperPilot]

Let me know how working for Toyota at half your current pay works out for you...

Do your research.

 

Toyota employees in Japan are unionized, are well compensated in comparision to the average Japanese worker.

 

Toyota employees Stateside are paid just under what UAW members are. Working conditions may be worse, but the compensation is close. I know Toyota workers, one lives on my street, and I live in a high end neighbourhood. They aren't crying poverty.

 

Don't buy into the myth that the media wants you to believe. It's not the workers pay that's the economic millstone, it's the process. If Toyota can afford to build a small car at a profit here, so can Ford or Chrysler or GM.

[TRUCK]

I am also angry that Ford is building cars in Mexica, but not angry enough to buy a Toyota!!!! If I felt that way I would be working for Toyota instead of Ford. Buying a Toyota is not the solution. It will just make our situation worse. If you feel that strongly about it just only buy Fords that are assembly in the USA.

 

I also know someone who works for Toyota. Their plant has A/C. That don't sound like bad working conditions to me.

[lackanookey]

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080529/ford_fiesta.html?.v=1

 

I thought we agreed to VEBA, wage cuts for new hires and non core work to make US operations more competitive, which would allow Ford to keep more work int he US.

[TIGER66]

I thought we agreed to VEBA, wage cuts for new hires and non core work to make US operations more competitive, which would allow Ford to keep more work int he US.

Thats what the uaw said.

[igor]

I am not an employee, so I will try to be courteous to all of you, but the very basic, simple truth is that Ron lied to all of you to get your hopes up.

 

 

Fiesta was approved for Cuatitlan months before the contract negotiations began. The plant's car line stopped production last year around October, and is currently being gutted for significant upgrades - all this was approved in spring.summer 2007 at the latest, and no matter how much Ron "tried" with all this underway, changing plans would just rack up costs - it was too late to change.

 

I know people had their hopes up, and it seems GM will build B-cars in US by 2012, but these are not "sell out" steps by Ford - these steps have nothing to do with your contract - these steps were not even included in the discussion - everything was underway for Cuatitlan by then - remodeling labor was contracted, machinery ordered .. it was simply too late to change course. In light of this - Ron's public claims should have been much more - realistic; instead of claiming there was hope for this product to come states-side, he should have told you the truth.

 

That said, there are no other plans for Mexican assembly, beyond the Hermosillo and Cuatitlan plants - Focus, Escape, everything else is staying in US, and more products will be added. This is very difference from others - Toyota still imports 50% of their production, GM now builds most Saturns abroad, and will move more production to Mexico.

 

Igor

[NLPRacing]

Do your research.

 

Toyota employees in Japan are unionized, are well compensated in comparison to the average Japanese worker.

 

Toyota employees Stateside are paid just under what UAW members are. Working conditions may be worse, but the compensation is close. I know Toyota workers, one lives on my street, and I live in a high end neighborhood. They aren't crying poverty.

 

Don't buy into the myth that the media wants you to believe. It's not the workers pay that's the economic millstone, it's the process. If Toyota can afford to build a small car at a profit here, so can Ford or Chrysler or GM.

 

I did exaggerate a bit, but my point was that working for Ford is a hell of lot better then working for Toyota. The fact of the matter is, NOBODY (not even the great Toyota) can build a "B" size car in the US and sell it at a profit. If they could, they would already be doing it. From a Patriotic standpoint, Ford does more for the US then Toyota will ever do. From a personal standpoint, it breaks my heart to hear a Ford employee say they will buy a Toyota or over a Ford...

[Captain723]

I did exaggerate a bit, but my point was that working for Ford is a hell of lot better then working for Toyota. The fact of the matter is, NOBODY (not even the great Toyota) can build a "B" size car in the US and sell it at a profit. If they could, they would already be doing it. From a Patriotic standpoint, Ford does more for the US then Toyota will ever do. From a personal standpoint, it breaks my heart to hear a Ford employee say they will buy a Toyota or over a Ford...

Amen brother!!!

[rc38]

I am not an employee, so I will try to be courteous to all of you, but the very basic, simple truth is that Ron lied to all of you to get your hopes up.

 

 

Fiesta was approved for Cuatitlan months before the contract negotiations began. The plant's car line stopped production last year around October, and is currently being gutted for significant upgrades - all this was approved in spring.summer 2007 at the latest, and no matter how much Ron "tried" with all this underway, changing plans would just rack up costs - it was too late to change.

 

I know people had their hopes up, and it seems GM will build B-cars in US by 2012, but these are not "sell out" steps by Ford - these steps have nothing to do with your contract - these steps were not even included in the discussion - everything was underway for Cuatitlan by then - remodeling labor was contracted, machinery ordered .. it was simply too late to change course. In light of this - Ron's public claims should have been much more - realistic; instead of claiming there was hope for this product to come states-side, he should have told you the truth.

 

That said, there are no other plans for Mexican assembly, beyond the Hermosillo and Cuatitlan plants - Focus, Escape, everything else is staying in US, and more products will be added. This is very difference from others - Toyota still imports 50% of their production, GM now builds most Saturns abroad, and will move more production to Mexico.

 

Igor

 

For you being so outside the box with knowledge of the product moves. You didn't even know that the plant DOESN'T have a car line,but builds trucks from the F-150 to the F-550.

 

Ford always said that they would build a B-car in NORTH AMERICA,most took that to be the US. No other automaker builds one here ,so i knew it wasn't going to happen. The Fusion was more of a shock than the Fiesta. They could have built that in Atlanta for a profit,with a workforce that had been putting out high quality cars.

[Pumpmaster]

This hasn't happened yet, but if it does, Toyota would break the pattern: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...;type=printable

 

And remember, NUMMI is a UAW-represented plant that, in addition to the Tacoma, builds the Pontiac Vibe and the Corolla Matrix.

 

That's be great for those folks if Toyota does decide to build Prius' there!

 

I wonder---did Ford even present a business case to the UAW to build the Fiesta in the U.S?

[mrballsonya]

We all knew this announcement was coming, it was just a matter of time.

 

For F*cks sake, the original statement said, that "it would be built somewhere in North America". Any sane person currently living in the "rust Belt" had to know that "built in N.A." meant ... built in Mexico. Come on fellas'..Imagine if you owned a business and you could get the same production out of a $6 an hour Mexican, or a $25 an hour U.S. worker; who would you choose?

 

I used to feel really guilty about being part of the ridiculous "Gen and JSP" programs. These programs seemed utterly absurd to me, I mean... who in their right mind, would pay me good money, to sit on my ass and do nothing. These programs just seemed totally inane. But even before my plant actually closed, my opinion started to drastically change.

 

The more money I saw Ford pour into Mexico, the less guilty I felt.

 

Obviously Ford Motor knew about their contractual obligations with the UAW, yet they still closed plants here, and invested huge amounts of money into Mexico. As a stock holder, I really can't blame them for this. It's all about the numbers. Whats cheaper? Should we close this U.S. plant and pay their old workers to do nothing? Or should we invest in low labor cost Mexico? Should we keep the U.S. plant open and pay 4 times the labor costs for our given product? Or should we pay 200 people $25 an hour, to produce nothing, and pay 2000 Mexicans $6 an hour to produce something? Sometimes we all forget Ford Motor isn't a charity, it's a business, It's cut throat... the weakest die and the strong survive.

 

As a UAW member, I view Fords investments in Mexico as a personal abandonment of me, of my skills, of my middle class status, and of my Country. Yet, like a scorned lover, I just can't help myself from defending my EX- Beau.

 

Ford Motor company, has provided me and my family sustenance for almost 10 years now. I think, even the most defiant whore, would defend such a long serving, good paying, PIMP. Until Ford Motor Company ships the last job out of our Country, I'll always hold them in high regard. I may not always buy a Ford, but I definitely will never buy a Toyota , Ever... Period.

 

In my mind, Toyota directly affected my manufacturing employment status; much the same as Wal Mart has. Both Toyota & Wal Mart LOVE America, until we no longer have money to spend. When the money runs out, so will they.

 

I hate to segue here, but Wal Mart's Low cost, predatory purchasing demands are part of the reason why our country is so screwed up right now. Our inherent American penchant, for being thrifty, has empowered a whole Nation (CHINA). We just can't get enough of those $30 bikes (the ones, that the frame welds break after a year)....... And Whoa! don't forget about that 20" color Television for $90, thats a terrific deal, until it blows up after 2 years of service. We're currently buying cheap shit, paying cheap prices, and subsequently filling our landfills with cheap Chinese made plastics. There's absolutely no pride, in either the craftsmanship or in the engineering of all this Chinese made garbage that we're currently buying. It's all about Profit, how Cheap and Shitty can we make these products, before we have to start paying warranty claims or rename our company from Hang Shui to Sang Shui.

 

WAKE UP MIDDLE CLASS U.S. CONSUMERS.

 

We're currently giving almost every penny we earn, to China or Oil producing nations. If we hope to remain a superpower, this cannot be sustained.

 

Believe me, Our richest 5% will NOT continue to support this country, once our power is gone. The rich aren't stupid, they'll flee like rats in water to dry land. They'll survive in luxury, as we toil in the mire that our governments policy's have enabled. We, the working class will suffer as the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. THIS IS THE AMERICAN WAY.......To A Fault.

 

Get Angry Everyone.

 

There has never been a revolution, without injustice. If this current economic climate doesn't offer enough financial injustices to the masses, then maybe I've just become part of the problem, and not part of the solution.

 

Our country was founded on the basis of sovereignty (the exclusive right to have control over an area of governance, people, or oneself.) At some point, our government decided to abandon our forefathers hopes and aspirations for this Country and yield to rich corporation's wills.

 

In the last couple of decades, our country has become a virtual crack house for all the oil producing Countries (dealers) to sell their product. When we needed a fix, we'd give whatever we had to obtain it. Maybe we'd give a War, Ammunition, Anonymity, whatever. This system used to work, we used to stand at a point of power, but not anymore. These "weak" nations (dealers) , are now treating the American people like crack addicts. Now, no matter what we have, it's just not enough.

 

Our current economic climate already happened once in the 70's and in the early 80's. For history to repeat itself in this fashion is borderline criminal. I guess we as the American people, are just that dumb.

 

What was that incomprehensible statement, that our idiot president said? Fool me once.....

 

Our Government has failed us. It's time for US, to take this country back from the CORPORATIONS.

Edited June 4, 2008 by mrballsonya

[CSMJ]

I thought we agreed to VEBA, wage cuts for new hires and non core work to make US operations more competitive, which would allow Ford to keep more work int he US.

Your right!! This is what happens when you have a wink a hand shake and a smile instead of a plan in writing!! This aint the end of it either!!!!!!

Look at what the CAW says about GM shutting down its truck plant. CAW says GM had promised to keep it open, and how old is that CAW/GM contract??

Edited June 3, 2008 by CSMJ