Toyota doesn't do layoffs

I've owned four cars, and they've all been Toyotas. By now it's a brand loyalty. I don't want a Honda or Nissan, let alone a Ford or Chevy. Nope, my car problem is solved. Given that, this is exactly the story I want to be telling myself about my car:

Do you know how many hourly jobs GM has laid off from 2006 to July 2008? Take a guess. How about 34,000? And now, they’re talking about another 5,500 layoffs. And now they’re asking you and your government for a bailout to end their troubled, outdated, low quality, wasteful production system. But, let’s not focus on fixing GM’s problems with an infusion of cash. There’s something even deeper going on here that’s really wrong.

OK, here’s a better question. How many hourly jobs has Toyota’s American production system laid off in the same time frame? Zero. That’s right. ZERO. How? Isn’t Toyota experiencing the same slow down in auto sales as GM is? Yes, it is. And yes, Toyota has halted production at its Texas and Indiana plants for the past 3 months. But the 4,500 people who work at those plants have not been laid off. What!?!?! How? Why?

The answer: Toyota has a special culture, deep-rooted values, and respect for their workforce. Toyota’s tradition is to NOT lay off employees during hard times. This tradition hasn’t really been put to the test until now. And Toyota has stuck to its guns and its values.

The post goes on to say that the employees at the Texas and Indiana plants have either been in training, have been painting the factory and building Habitat for Humanity houses, or have been sent to other factories. This is the sort of story that makes me proud to own a Toyota. It's also the sort of story that makes me think that although size matters, it's not the only thing.