and after a little investigation shows that Ford is idling the Camaçari plant.

My knowledge of Portugese is based on its similiarity to Spanish, but Google auto-translate tells me.

Three days after the return period of collective holidays, employees of the Northeast Industrial Complex Ford in Camaçari, received on Wednesday (7) the news that the factory will paralyze some shifts of production during the month of January.

The measure, called preventive, it is nothing more than a way of trying to avoid layoffs, since 20% of the workforce is idle because the automobile sector has not yet recovered from the impacts caused by the crisis.

Through a statement, Ford said that the parades will be equivalent to four days of production. Taking into account that the plant produces 912 cars a day, this means that 3,648 cars will no longer be manufactured. "Given the reaction of the automotive market in the month of December, only minor adjustments will be needed to bring production to market demand, which has not yet returned to previous levels," says the note.

Ok, obviously things aren't going well there either. This is a global crisis, and it's only through shared sacrifice that we are going to get out of it. That means that before we even touch pay for line workers, management needs to be called to account.

In the article referenced. So, if this is inaccurate, he needs to state a retraction as well as the original reporter. If you can get that from him in a press release, I will update this post so you do not have misinformation barrage.

But since we have your attention, may I note that GM has increased the offshore outsourcing of advanced R&D by 22.7%!

You are pouring billions and yes this is not local money, or money "put up" by EE's (emerging economies). This money is directly from GM, incorporated in the US, as well as JVs...billions from your domestically incorporated headquarters....in plants, facilities, manufacturing and the worst of all, advanced R&D in China and India and Brazil.

Hell man, you're selling Aeros for $1200 bucks in China? How can you recapture any profit doing that?

So, trying to deny that GM actively engages in offshore outsourcing is obviously wrong and may I suggest that GM consider returning to the United States, hiring US citizens for vehicles not only in the US market but also to export, and then put your corporate lobbyists to get trade agreements modified which give GM and other domestic auto and track manufacturers at least a level playing field instead of arguing to increase tax breaks and accelerate offshore outsourcing. Obviously.....from the last few years whoever came up with the great "cost saving" strategy is dead wrong and instead you're wiping out your primary consumer base....U.S. citizens!

It's one thing to expand into new markets, it another thing to labor arbitrage, offshore outsource, create some monstrous supply chain hybrid which hurts the United States worker, stops the U.S. from being the center of innovation, which is a major element in future economic competitiveness, massively increases the trade deficit and bottom line, hurts our national economy.

If you get verified, you'll avoid the Captcha, and we can have a more reasonable conversation.

Are you saying GM hasn't been outsourcing? Or that NONE of the Bailout money went to support outsourcing? Or what?

We've had plenty of posts of what is going wrong here- and the only *real* contribution overseas is making is that's where the jobs went.

The rest has to do primarily with the "New American Way" since Reagan to spend more than we earn.