Production cuts aren’t strange in this new automotive world. They’re the norm, really. But for a large automaker to take an entire month off from building any cars – that’s stunning. All Chrysler employees at all Chrysler factories ( that, of course, includes Dodge and Jeep as well ) will head home Friday Dec 19, and won’t come back until January 19th, 2009. At the earliest, that is. So, right before Christmas, with little warning, thousands of workers get the notice that they won’t have any income for an entire month.
I have issues with the UAW; that’s no secret. But for a company to shut down for a month, with no warning, and no pay for their workers…. at Christmas time… that’s pretty low. The production cut was necessary… but this may be a little extreme, even for Chrysler. I doubt I would ever buy a Chrysler anyway….. nearly all their vehicles are terrible…. but this is another reason to steer clear.
On the positive side, a month of not paying any factory workers should help preserve some precious cash. Surely all the salaried workers and execs will continue to get paid, and continue to get their scheduled bonuses. What a broken company.
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All the troubles Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep are in, along with Ford and GM to a degree, are blamed on countless excuses regarding unions and legacy costs and a lot of relatively valid stuff. But how many Chrysler LLC cars did you see in Car & Driver’s 10 Best or as viable candidates for the MotorTrend COTY or in GoodCarBadCar.net’s The Good 12 v2.0? None. Product is the answer, and the answer, if realized, may come too late.
That’s what I’ve been singing for years… when’s the last time you considered a Chrysler for your next vehicle? Exactly. Those suits in Detroit get paid way too much not to comprehend that.