Toyota Pink Slips 200 Texas Temp Workers

If you’re bullish on Toyota, you have every reason to be so.

Earlier this year the company wrested the No. 1 spot away from General Motors; the automaker is a leader in hybrid production; and the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry are selling like hotcakes.

But, there is another side of the coin for the world’s largest automaker and that side produces several gas hogging vehicles including the Toyota Sequoia (SUV) and its gargantuan pickup truck, the Toyota Tundra. The latter is produced at factories in Texas and Indiana, and it is at the Texas factory 200 temporary workers learned their fate this week — they’re out of work.

Yes, the 200 workers were temporary employees, but before gas prices became a huge issue, had hopes of being hired full time by Toyota. Instead, Toyota is returning the workers to the temporary agency that helped hire them.

For the 2000 permanent employees at the plant, Toyota will slow production down, and is developing a schedule where for 14 days between now and October no trucks will roll off the assembly lines. On those days, line workers will be allowed to take vacation days, a day off without pay, or work at the plant performing non-manufacturing duties.

Toyota has no plans to cancel the Tundra, but between high prices and stiff competition, the Japanese automaker is doing what Chrysler, GM, and Ford have done: they’re scaling back for now.

(Source: Houston Chronicle)