“That’s a pathetic indictment of the work force there, and it had nothing to do with Japanese competition.”
Of course it did. Absent the crushing (and illegal) cost competition from the Japanese, Ford would have been in a position to charge higher prices.
Bad for the consumer? Maybe in the short term, but in the long term the extra capital would have allowed more rapid factory automation, as well as increased strength when fighting union depredations. Capital is power, and that’s what the Japanese stole from us.
Further, the loss of market share to the Japanese, the Germans, the Koreans, the Moldavians and anybody else with a bike shop has hurt the nation, and that is certainly bad for the consumer.
These weren't Ford Escorts that were produced at that plant -- they were Thunderbirds. Did Japanese companies even produce a car that competed for market share with a Thunderbird back then?