A Very Misguided Article on Toyota

Tri-County Times – Columnists – 05/31/2005 – If I were king 5/26/05

It's fitting that this columnist (from north of Detroit) doesn't show his face in the picture that accompanies his column. He's a bomb-throwing coward, unlike most columnists who will show their face in a newspaper. I guess he's appealing to uninformed GM and Ford employees who feel beat up on lately by management and the press. His anti-Japan comments border on being slurs. Not cool.

This guy claims:
“And then there's the myth of the happy, teamwork-oriented worker who labors in a unionless paradise surrounded by caring Japanese employers who only have his or her best interest at heart.

Fact: Toyota workers work for less money and are five times more likely than a GM worker to sustain an on-the-job injury and 10 times more likely to be injured seriously enough to lose work days.”

I emailed the columnist and asked what his source was for that supposed injury data. If I hear back, I'll report it here. Update: As of June 19, I haven't heard from the guy. No surprise.