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Quote »Toyota Linked to Human Trafficking and Sweatshop AbusesToyota May Be a Shade Greener Environmentally but has badly stumbled with Human Rights AbusesNEW YORK, June 18 -- Today the National Labor Committee (NLC) is releasing a 65-page report, "The Toyota You Don't Know" documenting serious human rights violations by the Toyota Motor Company, which will disturb most Americans."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," said Charles Kernaghan, director of the NLC, "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."* 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.* Prius made by low-wage temps: Fully 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.* Unpaid overtime and "overworked" to death: Mr. Kenichi Uchino was just 30 years old when he died of overwork on an assembly line at Toyota's Prius plant, leaving behind his young wife and two children. Mr. Uchino routinely worked 13 to 14 hours a day, putting in 106 1/2 to 155 hours of overtime--depending on whether work taken home was counted--in the 30 days leading up to his death. Toyota claimed that he had only worked 45 hours of overtime and that the other 61 1/2 to 110 hours were "voluntary" and unpaid. His wife had to go to court -- which ruled that Mr. Uchino was overworked to death -- to win a pension for their children.* Ties to Burmese dictators: Toyota, through the Toyota Tsusho Corporation, which is part of the Toyota Group of Companies, is involved in several joint business ventures with the ruthless military regime in Burma. The dictators use these revenues to repress and torture the people of Burma.* 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.The National Labor Committee recently documented how the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement descended into human trafficking with tens of thousands of foreign guest workers held under conditions of involuntary servitude.Some people don't know just how lucky they have it.

So that's why their cars are so cheap... that's horrible!

been trying to tell people that for years. now 2 tier wage in the U.S.. That will be like under $10 per hour. at least the workers who build the Vibe still have their wages. sad state of affairs. I feel sorry for those workers in other countries....

the full report is at http://www.nlcnet.org/article.php?id=562

Iam not going to sit here and say that GM is a bed of roses....but come on....what toyota is doing and has done is nuts.ya lets see Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt stand up now....maybe Brad can adopt all the orphans after there dads all die from the overtime.I am soooooo sick of hearing how toyota is soo good and there cars are the best ever built....it makes me sick.I really bought my vibe beacuse of what the whole package offered me....not because it was a toyota..I would never ever buy a toyota.and its things like this report that make me feel this way.

Its my belief that all companies either have or will have a skeleton or 2 in their closet at some point.

my next car will be a toyota

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »Its my belief that all companies either have or will have a skeleton or 2 in their closet at some point.or 4.... sorry, I can't help but think this is a very political website that does these 'reports'. Yes, almost every large company has sub-par labor relations, but I can tell you right now that most of GM's replacement parts for ALL their cars and trucks don't come from the US.....we had 6 parts sitting on the counter the other day, not ONE had made in the USA on it...3 were from China, 2 were from Vietnam, and the other 2 didn't say where they were born.

Gee the National Labor Commitee is releasing negative press about Toyota. How surprising this smells like shades of Wal-Mart...can't unionise them destroy them with PR. Gimme a break. Lets research the unionised companies and see how many infractions/violations they have.

Quote, originally posted by Celtic_Curse »Gee the National Labor Commitee is releasing negative press about Toyota. How surprising this smells like shades of Wal-Mart...can't unionise them destroy them with PR. Gimme a break. Lets research the unionised companies and see how many infractions/violations they have.it may be politicized, but let's be real here..if a company, any company, is employing sweatshop tactics then they deserve to be outed. If the information is out there and people continue to purchase their product so be it, but pointing fingers at other companies doesn't make what Toyota is doing any better.