Thanks for everything Ford !

[NorfolkBuilt]

holes ! Thank you for running the company into the ground and making the little guy pay for it. Yes. With the consistent disregard for what the customer wanted over the years, we have officially handed over the reigns to the competition. "Buisness as Usual" has been your brilliant bureaucratic "Way Downward" plan for the last 100 years. It does'nt seem to me like the people in charge of this company are feeling the same pain as the assembly workers who have slaved in the 100 degree weather every summer. Nor doe's it seem like they are paying the price for repetitious job's that have takin a toll physically on assembly workers body's that can never be reversed. Nope,while we trusted our leader's to look out for the best interest of the company that we so proudly called our own,they were sitting in their air conditioned office's trying to figure out how they could hand over the world to Toyota. Congrats guy's and gal's,the Way Downward plan is complete. :banmolest: Edited May 6, 2006 by NorfolkBuilt

[Scot T.]

"Nor doe's it seem like they are paying the price for repetitious job's that have takin a toll physically on assembly workers body's that can never be reversed."

 

You can blame your illustrious union and its rigid work rules for this. I'm sure Ford would LOVE to go with a "team' assembly environment like Toyota does.

[DSenstad]

"Nor doe's it seem like they are paying the price for repetitious job's that have takin a toll physically on assembly workers body's that can never be reversed."

 

You can blame your illustrious union and its rigid work rules for this. I'm sure Ford would LOVE to go with a "team' assembly environment like Toyota does.

And that would help how? The posters point is years on the assembly line wear and tear on a persons body, unlike the years of sitting at a desk. I don't see how your solution would bring the different jobs to an equal level.

 

So like I said, how is this the unions fault?????

[pant load]

In the beginning I'm sure it looked good to the UAW to pick a job and as long as your seniority allowed it, you don't change unless you want to . But now we have seen UAW members who use certian parts of their body have problems and sometimes need surgury because they don't gchange what they do and give those body parts a break. This has been obvious for many years but instead of recognizing a problem and dealing with it the UAW just stuck its head in the sand and ignored the situation. I have worked a jobs where the actual labor is much more physically demanding than IO have seen at Ford and yet we had much less injuries because we did different things.

[DSenstad]

Yet even if we rotated we would still have more injuies than those we sit at the desks which is what the first poster was comparing,

 

It does'nt seem to me like the people in charge of this company are feeling the same pain as the assembly workers who have slaved in the 100 degree weather every summer. Nor doe's it seem like they are paying the price for repetitious job's that have takin a toll physically on assembly workers body's that can never be reversed.

 

I worked a job where we rotated before I started at Ford and we had injuries there as well, t happens all over. I also have seen some workers who are being torn up by there jobs a stay on it even though they have the seniority to bump to an easier job. Speaking of easier jobs, with as lean as we are and facing yet another task, how many easier jobs are there?

[butthead]

It takes to to sign a contract. Maybe they were forced to pay more benefits because they new that some jobs hurt people and some killed them. (how many people have passes due to their working enviroment/Paint shop/welding boothes/gear cutting plants etc.

 

They signed the contract so that they could continue to build cars/truck and earn billions in profits. Up until a few years ago (when they couldn't design their way out of the shit house) we were earning tons of money as proven by our past profit sharing checks.

 

The original poster is 100 % correct, thank you.

[Scot T.]

"I don't see how your solution would bring the different jobs to an equal level. "

 

 

In the 'team' environment, several people (a team) learn the jobs for an entire area, allowing easier coverage over that area, higher rotation rates, etc.

 

My dad worked 30 years at St. Paul Ford. Best position he had was 'relief man', rotating in for many jobs while people took breaks. He was so much happier in general working that position.

[zoomerjrt]

And that would help how? The posters point is years on the assembly line wear and tear on a persons body, unlike the years of sitting at a desk. I don't see how your solution would bring the different jobs to an equal level.

 

So like I said, how is this the unions fault?????

How about how they ALAWYS support the lazy drunk worker!! How about the fact that they help the guy who steals, such things as ATM's, yes someone stole an ATM and he still has his job, thanks UAW. How about the guy's who screw up the cars becuase there pissed off, they union will always back them ALAWYS. The union has no use for the guy who shows up ready to work and then actually does work. I do agree that standing on the line for 8 hrs does suck but, a little exercise and streching and does help.

[DSenstad]

You seem to have a real problem following a thought. I see people have a hard on for the union... good for you, make a thread called "Why I have a hard on for the union".

 

In the meantime, How do your threads follow the topic? How do they address the thoughts of the first poster? How will rotating jobs help equal a desk job? IT WON'T.

 

As far as a relief job, they were great jobs. You don't do a job except to stock for the first hour, then you do 6 or 7 jobs, 4 hours and 12 minutes of work in chassis, usually with the last 45 mins before lunch as your break along with the first 30 minutes after lunch. You then do the same jobs after lunch for either 12 minutes each or 24 minutes each depending on whether you are on 8 or 10 hour days and get done 40 minutes before the end of the shift. It works the same for other areas with a slight change of times but you still work far less and have far more break time than anyone else. Again they are/were great jobs.

Edited May 7, 2006 by DSenstad

[Scot T.]

"How will rotating jobs help equal a desk job?"

 

It never will compare, however, people make choices in their lives that land them at a desk, on an assembly line, or driving a garbage truck. In the middle of drafting school back in '79, the St. Paul truck plant was booming and I was offered a second shift position. Tempting as it was (10 bucks an hour or so compared to my $3/hr part time gas station job), I turned down Ford and stuck it out at school. Over the long haul, it has paid off with a great desk job at a different company and better job security now that St. Paul Assembly is closing.

 

I don't have a hard on for the union, it put dinner on the table for our family. It gave my high school dropout, World War II vet dad steady employment for 30 years, and an okay retirement.

 

About the relief position, as a little kid I recall my dad being crabby a lot, and as I got older and he got the relief position, he seemed happier, albeit tired due to the mandatory overtime, etc. These days, I will admit to not knowing much about the assembly line rules structure, but it would seem to make sense to organize workers into teams where many workers train in all jobs within an area. The staedy rotation would make it fair and spread the 'relief man' joy to everyone on the team.

[DSenstad]

Actually they have/are eliminating the relief job positions. They have a small group of people and one "group leader who gives small bathroom breaks and such.... actually I'm sure they have lots of things to do but I can't tell you what they are. They have basically gone to mass relief where everyone goes to break at one time.

 

When I had 4 months of seniority I was able to bid and get a utility job. Utilities rotate from one job to another covering people who are on vacation, on medical, jobs that are unfilled at the time, or when people are gone for any other reason. There were a ton of people who had seniority on me and could have had those jobs if they wanted them. They might not be as wonderful as everyone thinks.

[NorfolkBuilt]

"How will rotating jobs help equal a desk job?"

 

It never will compare, however, people make choices in their lives that land them at a desk, on an assembly line, or driving a garbage truck.

 

Thats true. However,the people that chose to be line workers also have to have faith that the decision maker's will do the job that they "chose" to do. Most people that work in these conditions will never make an attempt to be anything other than a line worker.It's not a fast food job.It's $70k a year with great benefits. So you can see why people stick with it. My point is that when you are in a position of power, and there are thousands of people that depend on you to make the right decisions and you choose not to, don't make the hard working blue collar folks pay the price. Jack Nasser had a big hand in the companys downfall,and hes guarenteed millions for the rest of his life. Wheres his sacrifice ? Truth of the matter is,with the current cost of living in this country,and minimum wage being a joke, most bue collar jobs should be paying $70k a year just so people can get by. You cannot blame the union for the working conditions.At the end of the day,it all belongs to FOMOCO. From the assembly plant all the way down to the toilet paper you wipe your sweaty crack with. Its Fords buisness to run.When they were making more money than a small country,they became complacent. And now its biting their azz. The union has one purpose.Thats to help secure a level playing field for its members. SO many people are ignorant to why the union came about in the first place.Thats another discussion. At the end of the day,with Ford the "company" losing the battle,the fatcat's up top are laughing all the way to bank in an offshore account. Meanwhile ,the little guy is is trying to get directions to the unemployment office.

Edited May 8, 2006 by NorfolkBuilt

[Scot T.]

"there are thousands of people that depend on you to make the right decisions and you choose not to,"

 

I don't think that the decision makers "choose not to" make the right decisions. It's not to their benefit nor the comapny's to do this. It's more a matter of making poorly timed decisions. No one could argue with Nasser and $20 Billion profit, so they let his eventual mismangement happen. While Ford and GM were cranking out profitable trucks and SUVs thru the 90's, the Japanese government was paying huge tax breaks to Honda, Toyota, and the likes to research and develop fuel efficiency. Honda and Toyota researched, Nasser and Ford 'diversified' and bought junk yards, Jaguar, and Volvo. Ford and GM continued cranking out profitable trucks & SUVs, Honda & Toyota quietly researched & developed. $3 gas hits. Now who has the upper hand?

 

About you & me, at the end of the day your big company owes you nothing but a paycheck. Nasser & the likes bathe in their millions, but they also live with the reputation of having screwed up. If they're lucky, someone else will pick them up.

[DSenstad]

Check the R&D of all the companies, the Japenese do very little in the way of R&D but they are very good at refining the work of others.

[Scot T.]

I stand corrected about the assembly team environment issue. There's a nice article in today's Detroit News about Ford & UAW moving to a team environment at a Detroit plant, making a model for all other plants.