Word: furuta
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...U.A.W. workers are thirsty to be treated as intelligent," says former personnel coordinator "Nate" Furuta. But Furuta was discouraged at first -- and American executives are still embarrassed -- by the average lack of basic educational skills among U.A.W. workers, especially in the area of simple math...
...work late and will stay past quitting time unquestioningly if there is a job left undone. But they have "loosened up," says assistant plant manager Jesse Wingard. "You can get them to break for a cup of coffee, and there's a lot of joking on the line." Furuta's successor, "T.J." Obara, thinks his compatriots have learned something from the Americans. "It is more cheerful here than in Japan," says he. "It's phenomenal." Executive vice president Osamu Kimura feels this is a valuable lesson. "Current way is not good one. We need more dynamic, creative society...
...Toyota, points out GM in quick rebuttal, is not as comfortable as it says it is with the U.A.W., because when Toyota opened its own U.S. plant late last year, it avoided the union by choosing a site in Kentucky. Says Furuta, who works in Kentucky: "We need a free hand to choose people. Fifteen percent of our team members here have college degrees. That was true of only 1% in California...
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