Toyota workers to build Habitat For Humanity homes when not building Tundra pickups

The Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio, TX has been hit by parts shortages as a result of the March 11 earthquake. The plant will be shut down on Mondays and Fridays, and production will be at only 50 percent the other three days of the week.

Luckily for the facility's 2,800 workers, Toyota plans to pay its employees even when the plant is down, but there's a caveat. The workers will need to either sign up for training or build homes for Habitat for Humanity if they want to collect a full paycheck. If the workers don't feel like taking Toyota up on either offer, the employee will be able to take an unpaid leave.

The move runs counter to one made by Honda, which recently announced part-time plant schedules in North America between May 9 and July 1. Honda workers will have the choice of doing training if they wish, or they can stay home and get paid anyway.

Local television station KENS5 reports that Toyota is taking this step because it believes that Habitat for Humanity work is all about giving back, respecting people and constantly improving. It's hard to argue that point, and we're sure the local community is more than thrilled with Toyota's decision. What's more, we're guessing workers will be very happy that the paychecks will continue to come in, in spite of the considerable supply woes the automaker faces.