UAW boss Ron Gettelfinger wrote an editorial last week that claimed that the UAW could build an F150 almost twice as fast as non-union Toyota workers could build a Tundra. The only problem with this claim - it's completely ridiculous.
Of course it bears noting that if this really WERE true, then the F150 would be half as complicated as the Tundra...and that's not really a good thing, is it?
Gettelfinger cited the 2008 Harbour report study that stated the F150 needs 19.1 hours of assembly while the Tundra needs 31. Of course, that's only PART of the data.
- The Tundra was in the middle of a huge new-model change during the course of the study (the 2008 study is based on results from 2007). Of course the Tundra's assembly times will be higher than average.
- The Harbour report doesn't include pre-assembly times in their official estimate (many F150 parts come pre-assembled in the USA).
- The Harbour report found that Toyota was still the industry leader in plant efficiency.
- Most damningly, F150's built in Ford's Mexico plant take 10 hours longer to build...how could the exact same truck need 10 more hours of build time in Mexico?
Clearly, UAW boss Gettelfinger is all wet.
How can the UAW ask the USA to trust them when the President of the UAW lies like this?
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