picker

Indeed, Brother... as usual. I remember about 6 months before CVT even ran the first tranny, I was in that small breakroom over by Gears. There were 4 ZF-er's sitting there having a good old time cutting down Ford and Ford workers. I was reading a paper at the next table and just listened to the the Twits. One of them made the statement: "I can't wait until ZF takes this place over completely and gets all these damn Ford workers out of here." That one got my blood stirring. I stood up and took a step right in front of the Twit, bent down real low and got DI eyeball to him and told him, "The day will come when you will be damn glad us Ford workers are here." To this day, every time I see the Twit, he won't even look me in the eye.

I would first like to say that Mr. PICKER, I know exactly who you are! I would love to talk to you face to face. Anyone that sees the posts I've written and whom works within 300 ft. of me, knows who I am. I don't stay silent on this issue of the Entitled bashing the older worker. Since you know who I am, come on over and talk. I enjoy a good debate. I now know why you don't see my point. How are you going to survive, when you can't suck out some OT? I once again never bad mouthed the Senior Workers, I just simply would like to know how many people would have to take buyouts for the MOST JUNIOR person to survive in OHIO! I saw your point and answered your question. Go re-read the answer. Oh, I know, you would wish that it be told to you over and over again, until the answer finally sinks in and you finally 'get' it. Some advice for you... you better start getting it the first time it's told to you or you are going to lose out on a lot of things happening. On OT... since you know me, you know I turn down a lot of OT. Also, you should know that survival is going to be very easy for me outside of Ford World. As for bad-mouthing Senior Workers... true, you haven't done so as directly as that other Twit. But, your statements and cliches have shown you to be in the same Twit League. Again, go re-read your posts for confirmation. The reason I mention the people with 28 years or more, is becasue these men and women can retire with some type of benefit. You for some reason are single minded and thing that someone is trying to force you out of a job, Welll... Yeeeeauuuughhhh!.... the tail-end of your "first question" was indicative of a subtle hope that if all those retiree-eligible would retire then you could keep your job. That is what made me set my soapbox up. Now if you were to apologize for even insinuating to any degree that your job is dependant on my decision to retire or not, I might just take you off my Twit-League list. I could careless how long you stay working for Ford. The gestalt of your posts show otherwise... but you are coming around. I see that your working on your "NEXT 30" years. Why are you quick to bring up going on strike, being laid-off, being transferred to another plant? Your not taking full advantage of your so called hard fought rights! Because those are a few of the dues I've paid. When you start traveling that same road, I'll be glad to let you borrow some well-worn boots to make the road a bit softer. The sad part is, you may be of the type that would quickly discard them. Indeed they are hard fought rights. The company does not give you a damn thing unless you fight for it. The 30 and Out rights do not go far enough though. Used to be, COLA for retirees was an issue but our International kept saying the money wasn't there. That was always puzzling because Pension Fund Assets showed that it was. The result is you see retirees out there as Wal-Mart Greeters and other humiliating jobs because the cost of living has made their pensions miniscule. There are other pension plans that other companies pay-out ONTOP of their Social Security. Some of them are UAW organized also. Makes me wonder why UAW dropped the ball on that one for us too. I won't list them all, but believe me, there is a long list of things that UAW could have done easily to shore up the retirees. In not doing so, UAW has made retiring a huge fear factor instead of the comfort cushion it could be. I can assure you that if I'm some how able to get in my "FIRST 30", That will be my only "30". I would glady step aside and take advantage of my full benefits! I would want to give a young person an opportunity to have a good paying job. I hope that you get a chance to prove out. It does sound noble to be able to do that. I used to think like that but then reality set in. Just a piece of advice here. Do yourself a favor and go to a few of the Retiree Meetings at the Hall. Once you get a good taste of Reality, you find it has a bittersweet tang to it. I have one question for you, I will ask this and I want you to give me an honest answer! You have atleast 30 years in, When you go work in a new department, when it's time to pick your job, Do you? A. Pick the easiest job? B. Take the hardest job? If your the hard and productive worker you claim, You should be setting an example! Take the hardest damn job in the department. I know that this wouldn't happen. You use your seniority and leave the younger person to do the harder job. Since you know me, you already know that I am on the job no-one else in the area wants to do... you already know that when I pick a job, I _do_ usually take the job that the Entitled would whine about... and you know why I take those jobs. Since you even asked those questions, obviously, you do not know me. So, let me ask you... why would my identity be of any importance to you? Is this just a Twit-League thing or is there some ominous reason? Honestly, all you have to do is ask around a little bit, I'm easy to find. After all, my username here is a dead give away.

For starters, I worked my ass off there. Yes, I bitched about working 12 hour days, 7 days a week for six months straight. THAT WAS A HALF OF A YEAR I MISSED WITH MY FAMILY. Fuck the money, it wasn't worth my marriage. I didn't get a day off until the 70th day into the critical. Trust me, I wanted one, but our supervisior wouldn't let us. Hey, sounds like you paid a few dues. Why the bitching? Couldn't you bump or NPT to CD4E? If it was such a burden, why not quit and go find a job elsewhere? Apparently, you did it for the same reasons most others did at one time or another. The money. Hard work and sacrifice is shared by your family also, not just you. If the spouse couldn't handle it, you really didn't have much of a spouse in the first place. You are better off without her and maybe the next will have an appreciation of your work ethic. And getting back to the 12 hours and only 300 parts. Get your facts straight before you throw up at the mouth. You were there a couple of weekends. I was there every fucking day. I saw what went on with my own two eyes, you got to hear about it from one of your "buddies". True, did hear _alot_ about how CVT was ruining Batavia. Saw it myself at the times I worked there. The facts stand and are matter of record. Easy to check out. CD4E ran the same way when it first started out also. It only took 5 years to get to the 1000 a day mark, CVT was only a little over a year old. None of the bugs were worked out. Running out of gear selectors, bad variators, or running one for one with them. Gear boxs and converter housings that weren't bored properly or just flat out defective. I could go on all day. The worst were the robots. CONSTANTLY breaking down, throwing transmissions, dropping them from 30 feet in the air on the helium test stand will shut the line down for a long time, ALL STUFF OUT OF OUR CONTROL!!! Don't know about the CD4E start-up, wasn't there at the time so I can't really comment until I get facts. Could you tell me your source for these facts? Start-ups usually take some time, granted, but running out of things, or the parts being bad points to poor quality/workmanship. Who was in the maching areas of CVT? I can't believe that it was only the outsourced parts that held you all up. Not from what I saw. As for bad robots, if it was a _constant_ breakdown, then it points to very poor management that didn't resolve the problem. I was laid-off the first time, all the "seasoned" work force couldn't run more than 200 trannys a night. They brought us "Young Folk" back, and we ran 430 the first night. Got an answer for that one? I going to end this conversation here. And well, you should. I find it hard to believe that a night shift on CVT were all old heads. Probably more likely, they were the young heads from CD4E that never worked in CVT. New jobs in a new department? I bet an old head would be far easier to adapt to such a scenario versus a young head. Heck, the entitled would want to spend the first 2 hours arguing with Union about why they don't want to do it.

Exactly what part of my train of thought is a major factor to Ford's buckling? Be specific and we can have a good debate. As for the learning part, I think the majority of younger people listen and learn from the old but are taken in by their peer group of younger workers who claim to be entitled. On the medical issues you raise, you have no clue as to what the heck you are talking about. Checking with the medical department will show you that, by far, more people under age 35 are the ones abusing medicals and restrictions. You probably only see the old fart that did have to go on medical and that confirms your stereotype for all older folk, meanwhile, you are oblivious of the next 5 younger folk that go up to medical for the usual migraine headaches, sore backs, and high blood pressure just to get a few days off work. Personally, I haven't had a restriction in 25 years. I did have one operation that kept me off for two weeks instead of the usual six weeks most take off for a similar operation. Your "bottom line" statement is so ironic, and holds a ring of truth. The reality is you entitled younger folk were given the CVT all to yourselves to prove out. I went over there a few weekends and couldn't believe all the whining I heard from the entitled about how they were so tired of working 12 hours to produce less than 300 transmissions. Guess you really showed Ford you were the backbone of the company. Like you said, Ford is going to fix this. I think they should start by making it mandatory that all you entitled should spend at least 3 months in an Assembly plant. How do you feel Ford will "fix this error"?

Your first question you asked, I took to be the same drivel I hear a lot from those with less than 10 years seniority. "If only those with 30+ would just go retire, then all of us good young hard workers can keep our jobs." I'm tired of hearing from you self-centered hypocrites. They have a whole string of cliches: "I'm for all the Union Brothers and Sisters".... and in the next breath you'll hear one of their favorites... "If you haven't made it in 30, you never will." You have the gall to insinuate that my reasons to work are "excuses." You don't know what you are talking about, a common trait of those of your ilk. I have never said anything like your claimed statement of "working 2 more years and I'm gone." I would never make such a statement. Those who do feel they are being put in a position of having to explain why they are working. I won't let the "entitled" put me in that position. What makes you feel I owe you some explanation as to why I work? If you really need to have an explanation, chalk it up to the work ethic I was raised in. If that fails to satisfy you, then go make up some shit that will please that moronic little brain of yours. That's why I call you the "entitled." You think you are the center of the Universe and everyone owes you. You are usually watching everyone else's business so close that your own glass house is cracking. You never did day one on a picket line. You bitch if you don't have the best job in your department. You never had a lay-off of duration. You bitch if you actually have to take a job where there may be some elbow grease involved. You never had to take a transfer from family and home. You are the Legends of your time and boy, you sure want everyone to know it. You rarely go to Union meetings. You whine if you can't get an hour for lunch. You rarely vote in elections. You are the first to run to management and complain if someone else got out of 2 minutes more work than you did. You are such the hotdog that the company will just have to fold if you are laid-off. You like to gossip about everyone around you and then wonder why they have no trust in you. You feel that seniority really shouldn't mean anything unless it is to your advantage. When someone dies, you are the first to ask what their seniority was. You think "paying your dues" means _no_ more than 2 hours of pay per month. I could go on and on because the entitled keep giving me daily insights as to their personna. To your other questions: I have over 30+ years and am working on my next 30. Sorry if that makes your mouth pucker... you'll get over it. I would gladly take that bet on your knowing what I would and would not do in regards to retirees and my pay. I believe my past records would show you already lost. Working on assembly is not a big deal to me. I work it now and will work it in the future. Do I like it? I never really thought about liking it or not liking it. Guess that is something the entitled dwell on a bit more. Your last sentence is one I have taken a moment or two to think about. Why don't you take a moment and reflect on it just a bit. How do you feel that _I_ am forcing out the young workforce? Because I refuse to take crumbs for a buyout? Because I am obligated to you in some way to retire? If I were to accept either premise, should I feel that the old workforce is being forced out?

It amazes me that the twit-minded jerks feel they are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo entitled but those with 30+ years should step out of the way to let them live their life. How very self-centered you are! Would you feel that way about your parents? When you do walk the road of life that many of us had to take, long-term layoffs, strikes and transfers, will you be so saintly to walk away from your 30+ years of seniority just because you don't want to upset the entitled brats that rant? You have 15+years and you are so pissed you are going to hurt us by your LEAVING!? Oh, please....LEAVE!!!! I hope you do finish your degree and never look back. Maybe life on the outside will teach you a few lessons you obviously need to learn. I bet you will be racing back to Ford when you get the phone call. Make sure they have your current number. I'll keep an extra pair of gloves handy for you while I work on my next 40.

Forced retirement at 35 years of service? It'll never happen. One reason is because many of them have 35 years at age 53. Think Ford wants to pay full pension until they hit 65? Another reason is because there are also age-discrimination laws, federal ones too. Now, just maybe Ford could try to get those laws changed. You do know who makes legislation in this country, don't you? They are called Congress. You do know how they get their jobs as Legislators, don't you? They are voted in by the people. You do know the largest voting block in this country, don't you? That's right, them "old heads". Can you just imagine how far your "Forced at 35 contract" will go when AARP has 80 million people hammering legislators? I wouldn't want to be a Congressman anywhere near a phone or the mail drop. Don't think that some Federal Court will do what they can to reverse age-discrimination laws either. They have solidly been backing them up for the last 20+ years. Another reason it'll never happen is because neither Ford nor UAW are that completely ignorant. Now, I do see a scenario where a Voluntary retirement could happen. That would be if Ford was really serious and saw it was _really_ hurting them. I might see where they would offer them "old heads" a meaningful retirement where the pension isn't reduced at 65 by SS payments. Maybe even kick in a good bonus to induce them to leave. It would have to be more than the bread crumbs they offer with this buy-out. The last reason you'll never see a "Forced at 35" contract? Who do you think is going to be voting on this contract next year? Besides the majority being the "old heads", I think there will be plenty of those around with a little more between their ears then what you obviously have. They will realize that a day will come for their 35th anniversary also. So, if you ever hear a Union man talk about how UAW is going to get the "old heads" forced out, maybe you could educate this pathetic, ignorant Union man and then kick him in the nuts like he deserves. I had to laugh at how you generalized the "old heads." 1/3 on medical, 1/3 sleeping and 1/3 on scrubbers. Here in the Batavia plant, we have _1_ man per shift on a scrubber. If 1/3 were sleeping, then that is a management problem, one of many. I know that used to be the case in the old days when most plants had 5,000+ workers. I don't see it as much now though. I do see people taking a quick nap on their breaks but I fail to see how this is any hurt to the company in any way. I'm not surprised to see the sleepers have a _lot_ of young heads in their group too. As for the 1/3 on medical, I'd think that if that were _really_ true, then there should be 1/3 more medical replacements at Ford. I know that isn't true because a recent talk with an nurse told me they have _never_ had more than 8% of the workforce on medical at one time. To sum up, layoffs are hard....very hard. I've been through many of them. I do not like to see them come. When I got laid-off, they would work everyone else 12/7's. Always pissed me off. But I never once felt like it was the "old heads" fault. Now that I am an "old head" myself, I know it wasn't. JJ, chalk it up to a life experience... layoffs can be growing experiences too, after you learn to get over the fear.