The Auto Writer

The Toyota You Don’t Know

Toyota may now be the largest automotive manufacturer in the world, but that position is bringing with it a certain kind of attention it probably would rather not have. The National Labor Committee (NLC) whose mission is to “…help defend the human rights of workers in the global economy” recently released a 65-page report, “The Toyota You Don’t Know” which documents egregious human rights violations by the Toyota Motor Company.

According to Charles Kernaghan, director of the NLC, “celebrities like Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pit, Bill Maher and others have led the way in turning Toyota’s Prius into a symbol of concern for our environment. We hope that these same celebrities will now also challenge Toyota to improve its respect for human and worker rights. As a start, Toyota should cut its ties to the Burmese dictators and end the exploitation of foreign guest workers trafficked to Japan.”

Among the findings of the NLC study were:

• Toyota linked to human trafficking and sweatshop abuse: Toyota’s much admired “Just in Time” auto parts supply chain is riddled with sweatshop abuse, including the trafficking of foreign guest workers, mostly from China and Vietnam to Japan, who are stripped of their passports and often forced to work–including at subcontract plants supplying Toyota–16 hours a day, seven days a week, while being paid less than half the legal minimum wage. Guest workers who complain about abusive conditions are deported.

• The hybrid Prius is made by low-wage temporary workers. The NLC says that one-third (10,000) of all Toyota assembly line workers in Japan are low-wage temps who have few rights and earn less than 60% of what full time workers do.

• The company has a business relationship with Burmese (Myanmar) dictators through the Toyota Tsusho Corporation. As part of the Toyota Group of Companies, the NLC says that Toyota is involved in several joint business ventures with the ruthless military regime in Myanmar (Burma). The dictators use these revenues to repress and torture the people of that nation.

• Toyota and the race to the bottom: Toyota is imposing its two-tier,low wage model at its non-union plants in the south of the United States, which will result in wages and benefits being slashed across the entire auto industry.

I haven’t read the entire report yet, but it does sound like an interesting if not provocative read. I know some Toyota enthusiasts will probably be offended by this article, but if these allegations are true, then that’s something to weigh if you are considering buying a Toyota.

Please click here for a full copy of the press release from the NLC.