[/floatl]AP: 'Toyota Way' Ignored at Factory
The California auto worker who is suing Toyota and others in a whistleblower lawsuit said Tuesday she was merely carrying out the quality-conscious "Toyota way" in spotting defects when managers cracked down on her efforts and demoted her. Katy Cameron, 54, employed for 23 years at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. in Fremont, Calif., is suing the companies in a lawsuit, filed Nov. 6 in Alameda County Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses management at NUMMI of routinely deleting or downgrading defects that Cameron found as a certified auditor...and demands $45 million in damages for retaliation against a whistleblower and intentional infliction of emotional distress...Cameron said she was trained in Toyota's corporate philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of the workers on the assembly line not only in making manufacturing more efficient but also pointing out defects and other problems. She was so good she trained other auditors, she says...more...
