California sole car plant shuts for good
By Brooke Donald |
April 3, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CALIFORNIA'S sole auto plant shut down on Thursday as the last car rolled off the assembly line and thousands of now unemployed workers walked out the doors, some crying.
A red Toyota Corolla was the last of nearly 8 million vehicles that have moved through production at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc, known as Nummi, and a throng of workers accompanied it on the final leg of the line.
"I saw a whole lotta men crying in there when things started going quiet and we said our goodbyes. It made me choke up," said David Guerra, who has worked at Nummi for 25 years -- as long as the plant's been open. He also worked at the site for 14 1/2 years before that, when it was a General Motors Co plant.
The Nummi plant, established in 1984 as a joint venture between GM and Toyota Motors Corp, employed 4,700 workers. GM made the Pontiac Vibe there but decided to withdraw from the alliance last year after filing for bankruptcy protection; the Detroit auto maker is now liquidating its stake in the factory.
Toyota made the Corolla sedan and Tacoma pickup at the plant but said in August that without GM, it could not sustain the factory.
Tooling used to make Tacomas will go to the auto maker's plant in San Antonio, Texas.
There have been no announcements of what will become of the sprawling property near the southern tip of San Francisco Bay.
A statement from Nummi said some employees will continue working at the site over the next few months to sell off equipment, clean up and provide security. The plant also will try to find a buyer and working with city and state officials to identify the best new use for the site.
Many of the employees were members of the United Auto Workers, and most are due to receive a minimum payout of US$21,175 each, adjusted for years of service and other factors. The UAW represents the Nummi workers because of its history with GM. The union doesn't represent any other Toyota workers in the US.
For the past several weeks, state and local officials have appealed to Toyota to keep the factory open -- both in an effort to save jobs and as a way to raise the Japanese auto maker's standing following a string of massive safety recalls globally.
A red Toyota Corolla was the last of nearly 8 million vehicles that have moved through production at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc, known as Nummi, and a throng of workers accompanied it on the final leg of the line.
"I saw a whole lotta men crying in there when things started going quiet and we said our goodbyes. It made me choke up," said David Guerra, who has worked at Nummi for 25 years -- as long as the plant's been open. He also worked at the site for 14 1/2 years before that, when it was a General Motors Co plant.
The Nummi plant, established in 1984 as a joint venture between GM and Toyota Motors Corp, employed 4,700 workers. GM made the Pontiac Vibe there but decided to withdraw from the alliance last year after filing for bankruptcy protection; the Detroit auto maker is now liquidating its stake in the factory.
Toyota made the Corolla sedan and Tacoma pickup at the plant but said in August that without GM, it could not sustain the factory.
Tooling used to make Tacomas will go to the auto maker's plant in San Antonio, Texas.
There have been no announcements of what will become of the sprawling property near the southern tip of San Francisco Bay.
A statement from Nummi said some employees will continue working at the site over the next few months to sell off equipment, clean up and provide security. The plant also will try to find a buyer and working with city and state officials to identify the best new use for the site.
Many of the employees were members of the United Auto Workers, and most are due to receive a minimum payout of US$21,175 each, adjusted for years of service and other factors. The UAW represents the Nummi workers because of its history with GM. The union doesn't represent any other Toyota workers in the US.
For the past several weeks, state and local officials have appealed to Toyota to keep the factory open -- both in an effort to save jobs and as a way to raise the Japanese auto maker's standing following a string of massive safety recalls globally.
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