We here in Ohio love our Ford plants. We've got 'em all over the place – in Cleveland, in Toledo, in Cincinnati... wait. Scratch those last two, as the Way Forward plan counts among its victims a stamping plant in Maumee near Toledo and a transmission plant in Batavia near Cinci. Ohio Governor Bob Taft and his Lt. Gov., however, have just offered Ford Motor Company a package worth $15.7 million in incentives to keep the Maumee plant open, however. Ford has graciously said it will review the offer, but Anne Marie Gattari, a Ford spokewoman, has already told the Detroit News that a turnaround plan unfortunately requires the idling of some plants, "and we don't expect that to change." Sorry Maumee, not even the great-grandson of William Howard Taft himself can save your stamping plant now.
[Source: The Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ramsport47 @ Nov 5th 2006 10:26AM
Ford used employ more Ohioans than any other company. Soon, they won't employ any. I guess they'll all have to get jobs repairing Toyotas and Hondas
Petey @ Nov 5th 2006 10:41AM
Its just politics, the gov't knows that nothing can be done to save the plant. But, they need to be seen as doing all they can to save the plant; its good politics.
stan @ Nov 5th 2006 11:54AM
just keep buying kia's and honda's and then wonder why jobs are going overseas. g.m. and ford contribute more to the united states middle class than any of the other companies. but that doesn't matter because that is the "old economy". i guess every body can work as realestate agents or loan officers!
Rastus @ Nov 5th 2006 12:02PM
...My hometown...this is my hometown...
Maybe Bruce Springsteen can perform an "Auto Aid" with Willie Nelson...oops, I mean "Bio Willie" haha.
Hey, man, life's a bitch when Johnny can't read...let alone build a decent product.
far jr @ Nov 5th 2006 12:07PM
Kia was offered something like $409 million to open a plant in Georgia. Honda was offered over $85 million to put a plant in Indiana. How much is Ohio bringing to the table to keep this Ford plant open in the Buckeye state? $15.7 million.
http://midwest.chicagofedblogs.org/archives/2006/07/honda_and_tax_i.html
Earnest @ Nov 5th 2006 3:09PM
http://www.carsdirect.com/build/options?zipcode=92150&acode=USB70KIC052A0&restore=false
This is my next car, a Kia Optima. And fortunately, the Optimas are still build in Korea. I don't think I would want an American built Kia, as American workers are not very intelligent. It's a crying shame, but true. If they were smart, they would not be shutting down plants.
The downfall of the American auto industry (as gauged by the Big 3, as everyone else is doing just fine :)
Zetha @ Nov 5th 2006 3:20PM
the U.S. is a POST-industrial nation, factory workers should NOT be middle class!
stan @ Nov 5th 2006 6:53PM
i wonder why zetha feels that she is so great that she alone should judge who is qualified to be in the middleclass of america. what does zetha do that is so much more worthy than hardworking factory workers?
dodgeboy @ Nov 5th 2006 8:07PM
You know why dont you smug idiots go live where your car is made.You folks need to wake the heck up and realize you are selling this country out.We dont even make our clothes or raw materials like steel. You know maybe shipping your pencil pushing job to India isnt such a bad idea.Because as you say it americans are lazy so Im sure somebody in some 3rd world country can do your job without the smartass attitude. Because then you could relive your college days and say a phrase you need to. YOU WANNA SUPERSIZE THAT.
Ed @ Nov 5th 2006 9:50PM
It's nice of Taft to propose something like this right before he gets indicted and right before every Republican in Ohio gets booted out of office on Tuesday.
UH2L @ Nov 5th 2006 10:36PM
Earnest,
Saying American workers are not smart is not much different than saying Americans that are car buyers are not smart.
www.thingsivenoticed.com
Koba @ Nov 6th 2006 11:23AM
First I wouldn't exactly call 16 million dollars the farm, and second it is pretty pathetic how bad Ford is doing.
As for the factory workers as middle class debate, I think the idea is for people to get things like EDUCATION and move out of the factory. Instead of putting their kids through college, many factory workers I know buy luxury goods and try to sign their kids up at the plant. Manufacturing built this country, but it's leaving, no matter how many Fords you buy. We now live in an information economy, not industrial. Maybe some of the people here should educate themselves before rambling about how much I owe Detroit.
Robert @ Nov 6th 2006 12:10PM
Exactly my point. Toyota got $300 million worth of incentives to build its plant in Texas. $200 million for its Indiana plant.
$15.7 million? Ford says things won't change, try offering $300 million. With that amount of money, Ford can turn the plant into a flexible facility, revamp the union contract and then continue to produce transmissions/engines/whatever.
By the way. There's still the Lima engine plant where they make the 3.5L. I don't think they'll be closing that one any time soon.
Cliffster @ Nov 14th 2006 11:37PM
Ford wasted a several tons of money on CVT in Batavia. Who is taking it in the head for it? The workers in Batavia. The link below is dedicated to them.
http://cliffster51.nfshost.com/CVT.mp3
pcoll @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:42PM
Call me crazy, but why in the world is Ford killing the CVT? We have Nissan advertising it... Toyota has it on the Prius... I just think this is a mistake to kill off a great piece of technology that could be adapted to other vehicles to increase fuel economy, and even perhaps future hybrid cars. So what transaxle is replacing the CVT in the Five Hundred AWD??? That 6 speed unit they co-developed with GM?? I just don't understand. Is the CVT Ford has a Ford design, or were the production patents "purchased" from another company... like the Aisin (read: TOYOTA) 6 speed automatic in the 3.0 Duratec Five Hundred... ?? ***SO JUST WHAT DO YOU DO EARNEST?? ARE YOU NOT AN AMERICAN??? Oh so you are a citizen of this fine country... well then hello STUPID!!! Where did you get your money to purchase a Kia Optima? I would assume you paid (for your stupidity) for it with US currency, you received this currency from a high paying job here in the USA.. All just for being stupid. HA!