Thadeus III

What to Expect if GM Doesn't Learn from Chrysler

@ "Kman" :


For those of us who put 30 or more hard working years into working at an auto company; it's not very comforting to think that the pensions that are part of our compensation package may be ripped away from us by the excessive lawyers fees and liquidation of a full bankruptcy. To me, I accepted employment at a company with the full compensation that was offered at the time I started and when I retired. To take that away after the fact, is stealing , even if it is deemed legal.
And to set matters straight, I was in the military for 4 years during Vietnam (1969 through 1973). Before that, I put myself through a technical college earning an Associate degree in industrial electronics.
After the military I worked for two computer service companies working on everything from small business systems to industrial numerical controls, automated inspection systems, industrial X-ray systems operating at 145,000 KVA, and more. It took me into companies in the medical field such as GE X-ray and CAT scan, Evinrude Motors, several small medical equipment manufacturers, and Delco Electronics where I made my General Motors connection. The pay scale was already dwindling in the field service business and I had a family and young kids. So am I too be blamed for taking a better paying job with heath insurance and a retirement package? I am not and have never been a "lazy auto worker" as most of the people I've worked with have neither been. Every line of work has it's fair share of "skaters" looking to do as little as possible. I resent those who want to label any line of workers as lazy and doing poor quality work. At General Motors quality was pushed and pushed every day. "Quality Creates Customer Enthusiasm" was pounded into us daily and we lived up to as best we could with the design, engineering and tools were were given to work with. If you screwed up on the job, you were taken off the line and made to look at what needed to be done to rectify the issue. . . repeatedly, until it was corrected. If you screwed up more than once you were given written reprimand and after 3 times you could be given 2 -3 days off with no pay. It happened and I saw it happen regularly at the plants I worked at.
There were even employees I saw thrown out for a week or month for "loitering" or not performing their job. It was occasional , but it was authorized by both the UAW and company. So they were an example to show others what would happen if you screwed up. There was never any free lunch where I worked at several GM plants.
And just so you don't go thinking I got everything on a silver platter; in order for me to hang onto my income and retirement package I had to move 3 times while working for GM. One of the moves cost me a reduction in wages for 3 years because of going from skilled trade to line work and because of the transfer agreement for plant transfers at that time. That was a 38% pay cut and I had a family and my wife had to quit her job because of the move and find another paying much less. There is much more , but the point is my situation was NOT unique.

As GM downsized and worked at plant and employee reductions while improving both quality and efficiency; this was the result for many people as downsizing and automation, as well as trying to adjust to the unfair competition of transplant and foreign auto makers.took place.
As I said before, GM, Ford, and Chrysler made their mistakes in product choice at times and marketing. So did Toyota, Honda, and the others. They all got on the big SUV and truck wagon too and look where those sales are for them as well as the Big 3. It was the greed of oil producers first ( high prices) and then the unscrupulous and undisciplined financial gurus that drew the last straw for US brand auto companies.

So if I am defensive of what people say about GM, Ford or any US brand automaker you need to walk a bit in the shoes of those like me as I have illustrated in this post. Give people some respect or you'll get the same crap that you dish out to them. We need to get behind each other in America. Not deride, mock, or bash those that work or have worked in the auto business. This is a disgrace to us as Americans and makes us a laughing stock in the countries that are pushing this global economy upon us.