A word of advice for the people at Chrysler

The future of the iconic American automaker isn’t so American anymore. Last week, Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and made a deal with the Italian automaker FIAT, which will control at least twenty percent of the company initially, and maybe more down the road. And there may even be a move to get GM’s German subsidiary, Opel in on a three-way deal.

So what lies on the road ahead for American autoworkers and their new Italian bosses? No one knows for sure, but when Japanese automakers Honda and Toyota set up shop in America in the 1980s, American autoworkers were asking similar questions. Joining The Takeaway to offer advice to workers facing a new era at Chrysler are two Americans who worked for Japanese car manufacturers. Jim Harbour worked for 28 years in the automotive industry as a manager and director in the engineering and financial services at Ford and Chrysler Corporation and Tim Garrett is the retired vice-president of administration at Honda.