Ferrari Workers Walk Out Over Proposed Firings, Production Cuts
Bloomberg reports that Ferrari workers walked off the job for four hours yesterday, in protest of planned job cuts and production idling. Ferrari has announced that it plans to eliminate 120 office jobs and 150 production jobs, or nearly ten percent of its workforce. The Italian sportscar firm has also said it will put 600 workers on a week-long furlough next week, as it idles production of engines for its sister brand Maserati at a Maranello plant. Last year, Ferrari built about 4,500 engines for Maserati, about half of the 2008 number, as sales of the brand fell.
Now, under pressure from Fiat to produce even more profit, Ferrari is cutting 2010 production goals from 20,000 units to 11,000 according to union representatives. Or is it? Ferrari spokesfolks say the union is incorrect, and that it never planned to build 20,000 this year. Rather, Ferrari says it will keep production at 6,000 units, about the same as last year. Ferrari wouldn’t confirm how many Maserati engines it would build this year, but said it was outsourcing “non-core” operations, so it could focus on product development, technological innovation and reaching new customers.
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What part of "we're not going to make as much money as last year, so we have to cut expenses" do these folks not understand? Interestingly, their 4 hour walk off probably helped save some money in advance of the actual furlough.
Ultimately the death of the world's economies will be due to peoples' sense of self entitlement. With no regard for the profitability or ability to maintain high levels of business, the UAW ran GM and Chrysler into the ground, and have got Ford pretty close to the same situation. Anyone with any sense should know that job cuts will follow a slow period of business. Unfortunately unions don't always seem to see it that way. They'd rather keep their jobs until the business folds.
"but said it was outsourcing “non-core” operations, so it could focus on product development, technological innovation and reaching new customers" Huh?
How much does F1 racing cost Ferrari? $250M/year would be my guess. Twotone