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Toyota is offering 250 million dollars to support workers at a California plant slated for closure, the US unit of the Japanese automaker said Wednesday.
Toyota Motor North America said it had pledged 250 million dollars to New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) to "fund transition support" for staff.
NUMMI is a joint venture with General Motors where car production is set to end on April 1, after nearly 25 year in production.
GM pulled the plug on the venture last June after the largest US automaker emerged from a government-supported bankruptcy reorganization.
"Toyota’s financial support is enabling NUMMI to offer bonuses to salaried and hourly team members who continue to produce quality vehicles for Toyota through April 1, 2010, when Toyota’s production contract with NUMMI will end," the company said.
The embattled world's largest automaker, facing criticism over production defects that have forced the recall of nearly nine million vehicles, said the funding was subject to ongoing negotiations between NUMMI and the United Auto Workers union.
The UAW represents some workers at the Fremont, California-based facility.
Toyota announced in August it would end its production contract with NUMMI for Corolla cars and Tacoma pickup trucks on March 31 and shift production of the vehicles to Toyota wholly owned facilities.
