Chrysler

Chrysler just announced they are shutting production, at least until Jan, 19th.

 

I wonder if they can make it back....

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_autos

I work for Kubota Manufacturing of America at the Gainesville, GA assembly plant, where we are the world wide producer of Kubota industrial lawn tractors, zero turn lawn mowers, and RTV's in separate buildings. The bad economy is finally catching up with us, too. At this time in October, we were building 320 tractors a day, which was 12 to 14 hour days, with them taking volunteers on Saturdays, I pulled several 60+ hour weeks over the past few months. Then they cut production to 280 a day. Then the lay off rumors started to fly. We had our huge company wide meeting this past Monday morning, where it was stressed that the rumors held no truth, they have no plans for a lay off now, or any time in the future, thankfully. In the 20 years KMA has been going, they have never laid a single person off, and don't plan on changing that. They have now cut production to 200 tractors a day in building II, and have dropped RTV production from around 145 a day to 107 a day in building I, and that's where the numbers are supposed to stay until sometime in the late spring or early summer. We are now limited to no more then 3 hours over time a week. This past week is the first week we have ran the reduced production numbers, I'm used to working till 7:30-8:00 P.M. Very strange to cut the line off and leave at 3:30 now.

 

I think this is the first in several steps we'll see in the next few months. I read today that GM is NOT talking to Chrysler about a merger (unlike what was reported last week). Who knows? We'll see what happens.

 

Hmmm. time to buy a Challenger at the Bankruptcy sale?

 

The party is over for us, too. I have been hauling building materials, mostly roofing shingles to the Houston area for the last three months or so basicly nonstop for the hurricane damage. Well, that came to an end two weeks ago, and now freight is hard to find, and if you do find a load, it's cheap. I came out of Monroe, LA Tuesday without a load, and just got an instate load today that delivers tomorrow. Our flatbed freight always slows down in the winter months, but right now it is nearly nothing. Nobody is buying building materials, which is 85% of what I haul. Steel is not moving any, either. The Company offered some of the company drivers $1000 and unemployment to take off until Jan sometime, but offered nothing to us lease operators. They are also looking for any puny reason to let employees go, have already fired a dozen or so. Looks like a long, hard winter, maybe even into late spring.....

 

been laid off since Oct. and not supposed to go back untill sometime in Jan if im lucky

 

My brother works at Mayfield ice cream plant in Braselton, GA. They just laid off 20 people, with the possibility of more layoff's coming soon. So far so good for him, but if they do lay off more people, chances are he will be one of them.

 

Wow I am surprised I have been seeing this stuff for a little over a year now. I work for a flight control supplier for many of the OEM aircraft companys...Boeing, Bombardie, Airbus, Embrae Air ect ect... Basically we make all of the flight hydraulics, everything from the landing gear or alierons to the hydraulic valve used to flush the toilet.

There have only been layoffs twice in the existence of this plant (about 30 years) once right after 911 and last march. The one last march was strictly voluntary, it was for people who wanted to retire early or to move onto bigger and better things. Within the last year we have gone from 70-80 hours per week on average to 32 hours when the Boeing strike was on a couple of months ago.

Be fortunite the economic collapse has held off for you guys as long as possible. This all started to happen just when my youngest was born (leap day baby) and my wife was not been able to find a job with the economy on the start of a downturn. Alot of people I work with including myself have lost alot due to the economy, lost houses cars ect, and there are no other jobs to be found, the only hope I can say it slowly it is starting to pick up.

 

I feel very fortunate.I have absolutely ran my a$$ off up until,well,now.I'll probably get a couple days off for Christmas and then back to the grind.Our major customers(glass manufacturers-both automotive/residential;CSX/Norfolk southern railroads;and a couple fiberglass plants)run 24/7/365 so we've been really fortunate in that there's still plenty of work.We've got several other customers but they are taking vacations like everyone else.After about the 2nd week of January we'll be back wide open again.With a few new hauls we picked up this year,the company actually showed record profits for the last quarter.What a deal,huh?

 

Looks like the bailout is going to happen according to todays news. I am very very busy in my job and am very very thankful to have it.
Dan

 

This past September was a record month where I work also... They had the best sales and profits ever since 1988! :16suspect This year was also a record year as far as production goes. We've built over 80,000 tractors in 2008, the most we've ever built in a year. And these aren't just being stock piled in a warehouse somewhere, we have no storage area at our plant. We only build what the dealers order, and it is shipped immediately. We're putting a good hurtin' on John Deere.

 

I think the only thing that will help GM is bankruptcy. They have to get out of those union contracts. The UAW is out of control.. I know some of you on this site might be a member of UAW and I don't mean to upset you but a company can only give so much before it breaks.... The union is worthless without the company.. I'm sure the employees would look for a better option if the union would let them......

 

The only part that goes into the tractors we build that is not American, is the engine. Every other piece is built in America by Americans. We have parts suppliers all over the U.S. We build the frames and most of the mower decks in house from raw steel. But, our tractors are sold world wide. The U.S. accounts for but a very small portion of our overall sales.

 

I think the best thing that could be said is to quote the requirements put forth by the government.

"Reduction of the total amount of compensation, including wages and
benefits, paid to their U.S. employees so that, by no later than December 31,
2009, the average of such total amount, per hour and per person, is an
amount that is competitive with the average total amount of such
compensation, as certified by the Secretary of Labor, paid per hour and per person to employees of with Nissan Motor Company, Toyota Motor
Corporation, or American Honda Motor Company whose site of employment
is in the United States (the “Compensation Reductions”)"

this is in both the GM and the Chrystler loan requirement. They can be viewed here

http://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/hp1333.htm

There are several other concessions but they are pretty much removing the UAW from the American automobile companys