UAW's King says Toyota, management has lost its way

* UAW's King says 'management is destroying' Toyota

* UAW renews effort to reverse closure of Calif. plant

* California UAW workers to picket Toyota dealerships

By Poornima Gupta

FREMONT, Calif, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers union, fighting to stop Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) from closing a California plant and leaving 4,500 people jobless, said on Friday the automaker had forgotten the focus that brought it success.

Toyota, UAW Vice President Bob King said in a rally near the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc plant popularly known as NUMMI, needs to "get back to basics."

"What we have known for a while, the global public is waking up to," King told workers amid banners that depicted a skull inside the oval Toyota logo. "Toyota Corporation has lost its way. Toyota Corporation has forgotten what built its success."

The rally comes as Toyota is embroiled in massive global vehicle recalls that have brought into question Toyota's reputation for quality and safety.

The recalls, intended to address sudden acceleration complaints, have brought intense pressure as U.S. regulators, lawmakers and auto industry experts come to grips with the series of safety recalls.

U.S. regulators have pledged a renewed focus on past investigations about some of Toyota's best-selling cars and lawmakers plan a series of hearings to examine how Toyota and regulators responded to consumer complaints.

Referring to the controversy surrounding the recalls, King said Toyota's management had made bad decisions, including closing NUMMI, the automaker's last plant in California, the biggest car market in North America.

"We really have been aided in the world scene that this management is wrong-headed," said King, who has traveled from Detroit to lead the rally. "Toyota has forgotten about safety. This management is destroying this corporation."

NUMMI, which began as a ground-breaking experiment in industrial cooperation that opened in 1984, came into focus after GM withdrew from the joint-venture in June as part of its bankruptcy reorganization.

GM opted to close its Pontiac brand and ceased production of the Pontiac Vibe at NUMMI in August 2009.

Toyota, which has excess production capacity in North America, decided to abandon the plant and shift production of its Tacoma pickup to an underused truck plant in Texas and the Corolla to other facilities.

NUMMI plant workers now plan to picket in front of Toyota dealerships in California and urge consumers to avoid buying Toyotas if it does not reconsider its decision.

Sergio Santos, president of UAW local 2244 that represents NUMMI workers, said Toyota was in a very vulnerable position.

"They will get a big monkey off their backs right now if they just keep the plant running," Santos said.

Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles globally for accelerator and brake related problems that have been linked to crashes that killed at least 19 people.

The automaker's profits have already suffered and its share price has taken a beating, while its once stellar reputation for quality has been tarnished.

Labor law professor Harley Shaiken of the University of California at Berkeley said there is a chance Toyota could reconsider its decision to close the plant.

"This is an unprecedented moment for Toyota because of all the recalls and the damage to its reputation," Shaiken said. "Keeping the plant open could prove to be an opportunity to rebuild its image."

But for now, workers are worried and nervous about their future.

Jerene Johnson, who has worked at NUMMI for 15 years, said the job market was "not good at all."

"I feel betrayed," Johnson said. (Reporting by Poornima Gupta; Editing by Bernard Orr)