walter227

Hi the trades have always been on three shifts , production is adding a third shift in body , paint and pre trim. You should contact the Company and your leadership to find out about the possibility of a transfer and what the rates of pay are.

Hopefully a Union Rep. can correct me if I`m wrong: A few years ago Ford applied for an extension to our 48 hour week; it was approved by the Labor Board . Maximum scheduled production hours per week is 60 , and yes if they scheduled four tens, eight hours Friday , and eight hours Saturday you would be required to work it- it is not optional and would require the support of a Doctor`s note or asking for a personal day off. TPT`s (temporaray part time) workers were then hired as they have done at Chrysler for years . They performed work at first only on Mondays and Fridays, then were permitted to work any or all of the week at the discretion of the company. This alleviated the potential of regular hourlys having to work upwards of 60 hours per week and made time off an easier task. The TPT`s were not to be utilized unless all hourlys were not on layoff. That said, It is my belief that the company is able to schedule up to 60 production hours per week. If anyone has knowledge of this or can chime in , Thanks.

Retirement and attrition and 2 new models should make room for alot of STAP employees. We will welcome you that`s for sure!

Remember some years back (2002) when Ford announced there would be 6 flex facilities in North America? OAC was converted into one opened for business in 2007. STAP was on the block for a while, just as OTP was.OTP had orders and worked overtime until the last truck rolled off the line, leaving us scratching our heads. We had world class quality, JD Powers said so. Ford makes business decisions that sometimes seem impossible to comprehend, whether we as workers agree to their moves is irrelevent. When I was hired in 1994 an instructor in FPS training said " There are 2 reasons Companies this big do things: Because they can, or because they have to." The history of 1 shift operations has almost always resulted in closure. OAC has been given work up to and possibly beyond 2020. Buyouts and attrition should make room for some STAP employees at OAC. As far as OAC closing? It has been for over 30 years, so some of the old timers have said. The best way? One day at a time , believe that it is going to happen even as you look around and see all of this equipment , the property there, all things that you have become accustomed to-- will be gone soon. Thought will come into your head " They will have a second look,they will re-think their decision.." No , they will not. Preparing for the inevitable is a tough thing to do, but it`s a heck of a lot better than going to work one morning, finding a lock on the gate, a bankrupt company with no money for severance, never mind buyouts and a new car to boot..

Anyone know if the labor unrest in India has subsided? I understand they manufacture a component for our transmissions?

Right, no strike. How about a LOCKOUT?? :censored:

In Canada they are not replacing welders at all.When they retire, the jobs are gone. After 15 years on the line hoping for a chance to get in the trades (fitter/welder/ boilermaker/pressure vessels certified, by trade) they have axed the replacements. Too long in now to throw it away.Rumor has it that there will be 2 trades when they are done, electricians and millwrights. Millwrights here are expected to be certified in the flat position only...that leaves the door open for outsourcing. Welcome to the future.

PP21

http://www.cawlocal.ca/222/uploads/110D48D..._highlights.pdf

It`s difficult to attain any respectable share of the market without a trade agreement. These one way trade clauses, (Korea, Japan, etc,) need to be stopped and fast. Makes you wonder where all the big boys who support these types of agreements have their money invested.

They look like fools to us in the know, but they are blissfully unaware of their actions. Ignorance, and stupidness, is bliss. I recently "acquired" a Pontiac. I got it at a good price from a family member , in need of work which I enjoy doing. This car will not be parked visible to my neighbours, they are unaware it is here. When it is done , it will be sold . I have 2 Fords in my driveway, the Pontiac is in the garage. A co-worker said, hey, those are nice cars, in reference to the Pontiac . Went on to say that it is used, so it doesn`t matter. I told him that if we work here , and if we don`t buy a new or used Ford, that tells our neighbours that we don`t believe in our products. Took the 2008 Focus in for an oil change this morning. The dealer where the car was bought, had turned into an auto super centre, and no longer sold new Fords, but an array of used cars from all manufacturers. The main namesake, and the phone number remained the same. At the service desk of the Ford dealership I went to, I asked that the old license plate surrounds that supported the old defunct dealership be replaced with the new dealers namesake. They gladly obliged, and gave me a free service on the car.I will recommend this dealer to everyone I know. Whenever anyone I know buys a Ford, neighbours and acquaintances or friends, (a few of which I have given a PIN to) , I always say"thanks for buying a Ford!" and make it a point to take the time to look the vehicle over, point out it`s features, compliment their choice, and behold, they go to their work, tell their colleagues what a great vehicle it is, feel good about it. This is the type of advertising that needs to happen always, it should be part of our employment contract, and most importantly..that you must drive nothing but your companies` products. Those people at work that drive non Ford products need to take a look at the big picture. It starts with us, the worker. If we don`t drive what our companies manufacture, it tells the world that if they don`t buy their own products, they must not be good, and that is a slap in the face of all of us who are trying DAMN hard to keep our jobs , and keep the company afloat especially during these tough economic times.

300 million dollars, needs to be spent on North American vehicles, the ORIGINAL 3. Theres nothing that irks me more, than to pay my taxes, all of them , and see governments spending MY money on vehicles other than which auto manufacturers that were here first. Suddenly, people are waking up to find that the old cliche of autoworkers being overpaid is no longer the issue. The issue is, if we , autoworkers , are not working paying into the social structure to maintain a standard of living, neither are the other 7 people tied to each autoworker job. That means less money into the system, and more money needed , courtesy of your neighbour who just bought that import. I am not saying that everyone should buy North American, what I am saying is the more people who buy imports , are the same people who are going to have to pay more in taxes , etc, to maintain the standard of living we all have become accustomed to , not just autoworkers. On a side note, doing home renovations, going into a major home supply store, I was hard pressed to find anything made in North America, and when I thought I did , the item was manufactured in China. Here in Canada, our government has offered a 13.5% rebate on all home renovations over the course of the next year. Our Government here has long supported trade with China, which is fine, but I choose to put my money back into the pockets of North American Companies, my fellow Americans and Canadians alike. When I hire a contractor to do work on my home, If they pull in the driveway with anything other than a product from the Original 3, they do not get the contract, although I take their quote. Call me what you will, but if we on both sides of the border are going to climb out of this thing together, we have to stick together, and work together. Take Care and God Bless

I agree ED , We already pay too much , at about 55% total (gas, food, bills, GST, income tax,etc.) and still have to pay for education, in home health care , etc. in Scandanavia they are taxed at a whopping 68% but all these things, including dental , education, in home health care and more are covered 100%. May as well bump us up into that bracket we`re almost there now. $1800 in taxes and cpp/ei is criminal on a $3500 dollar payment that we rightfully deserve. And to think Flaherty was going to do nothing and watch the auto industry die. Without the exorbitant taxes we all pay , including our suppliers and the 1:7 job ratio in the industry tied to auto worker jobs, all those who believe we are overpaid would now have to fund us as the social system would be so strained anyone earning good money would be paying through the nose. 12% over 4 years would be unheard of , most would be in the same boat we are in, wage freezes, cuts, painful measures just to survive.

lol, good to have some humor in these times!

I worked at OTP in Oakville. We collectively were a dedicated workforce.We built Q1 world class quality, best quality trucks in North America, right down to the last truck that rolled off the line in June 2004. When the company decides that closure is imminent, regardless of employees being committed to building quality, at the end of the day the business does what is best for the business. I believe they do appreciate us caring about the finished product. We have to care..quality and no warranty issues should be all of our goals. As to the future being in the employees hands, saving the plant? Even a wage cut at this point would probably not change business decisions. I hope that for all our sake the economy turns around and we enjoy the boom of years gone by. But right now, the ship is taking on water .. we as captains had the opportunity to leave the boat before the ship went down. If you chose to stay the course like I did, then we have accepted the current state of affairs and believe and hope that we will all get through this.