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FRAP GOING TO ONE SHIFT NY FEBRUARY


Rickyrich7

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they are working on cutting jobs as we speak preparing for reduction in line speed so I wouldnt be surprised if that posting came up the next few months...6 jobs cut per unit right now their goal

They can cut me,all I am waiting on is the same package they gave people with 30 years or close to it. I have my 30 now and do not really want to wait for the next contract.I do keep hearing after March C crew is not coming back. I am at CAP by the way.

Edited by cecilmeyer
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They can cut me,all I am waiting on is the same package they gave people with 30 years or close to it. I have my 30 now and do not really want to wait for the next contract.I do keep hearing after March C crew is not coming back. I am at CAP by the way.

so CAP is getting rid of C crew?
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I highly doubt that. Sounds like fear mongering to me.

 

If they do its only going to be temporary while they launch the new Explorer next year, it wouldnt last more than a month or 2 while they train everyone.

I do not think so ,half of them do not come to work and the other half are on FMLA..... LOL

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The new paint shop I heard FRAP was getting has also been cancelled. I guess Hackett the Hatchet has to pay for Ford's train station social engineering project

I remember STAP were told we were getting new paint shop, 600 to 800 million, work was started, one color booth was torn down. New prime booth built and in use, old prime torn down. The out of nowhere money was cancelled and date set to close plant.

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  • 3 weeks later...

From what I know, FRAP is staying at 4x10s for the foreseeable future. Yes JPH is going down, but its cheaper to run the plant on the current schedule than go to 5x8s. Product coming or going is just pure speculation at this point. Yes Conti isnt selling well, but 19 is launching and 20 is scheduled. Do I see the plant going to one shift, yes, but only after contract negotiations.

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The Glass House told our new plant manager and asst. plant manager they were being sent in to get Flat Rock into tip top shape, and if they didn't, we wouldn't have to worry about 2 shifts or even 1 shift. They threatened them with the possible closure of FRAP. We have been told the Lincoln can be run out before next summer and the Mustang can be moved. (In a few years it will be built on the new CD-6 midsize platform that every other midsize will share) They could still build autonomous vehicles and have the data center, but no mass production vehicles would have to be made there. The thing all of have to worry about is the annualized rate of vehicles made in North America is set to drop from a current 17 million down to 12-13 million in 5 years. Autoline Daily reported this in July and Ford and GM both agreed with it. The new ride sharing and autonomous vehicles are said to replace 15 new regular vehicles with only 1 of them. A third less teenagers are getting drivers license's than in past decades and far fewer young people can afford ANY new cars. The payment, insurance and rising gas prices are getting to be too far out of reach even if mommy and daddy help them out. Autoline is based out of Detroit and is highly respected in the business and auto community. Autoline's host, John McElroy also recently reported that Ford and GM are expected to only need 60% of their current plant capacities within 5 years. Less cars made, less plants needed; equals less workers. I believe we will see plant contraction again soon after contract negotiations. Cities are being pushed to use far more public transportation, young people have taken to it in big numbers and can't afford new cars anyway. We will see lots more ride sharing cars available soon and zip cars are taking off in big cities right now (they are parked on the street wherever the last person left them after renting them. You swipe your credit card in them and drive where you want and it charges your card once you are done). The prediction of the annualized rate didn't even factor in any possibility of recession, which would speed up the 5 year projection timetable even faster. More people are buying used cars every day because they can't qualify for a new car loan or lease. Hell, some people's mortgages are less per month than a new car payment on a 50,000 car with on a 6 year loan! Other plants with trucks and SUV's have way more job security than FRAP, but if the industry shrinks 40% in 5 years, we will lose 2 or 3 plants. Ford knows this and that's why no one gets hired when people retire now. They keep using part timers because we might lose 10,000 to 15,000 full time jobs within 5 years. FRAP won't fix anything in the plant that doesn't relate to assembly and production. The air conditioning in the shop office/HR has been broken since May. Almost all bathrooms flood with backed up or overflowed sewage, burnt out lights aren't replaced anymore, fans aren't fixed anymore, roof leaks are just tarped...NO MONEY is being spent because they are not sure of the plant's future. I've been through 2 shift reductions in 2 decades, but this seems a lot worse. We almost closed right before we got the Fusion and were saved on the last possible day by a deal cut by the union. I'm not confident we will be that lucky again in the near future.

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deflep1,

Well written and the reality of TRUTH... But I don't think whatever your Plant and Assistant Plant Managers attempt to do will change the future of FRAP. Those decisions are decided from way up the Totem Pole from where those people stand.......
How is the morale at FRAP?

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Ford is still plotting it's turn around strategy believe it or not, the cutting hasn't really begun yet. Fields made it a mission to save FRAP with product but the status of those products have changed recently. FRAP is still scheduled to get Ford's AV vans, which are apparently being retrofitted in a new facility being constructed across the street from FRAP (but Ford's AV commitments have slowed since Fields announced them for FRAP). . Mustang also doesn't have any free space at other Ford facilities. Since it's not moving to CD6 (although related), it may not be possible to move to Chicago with Explorer. Unless Ford moves production from Mexico or Canada, FRAP is not on tap to get any volume product.

Edited by Assimilator
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deflep1,

 

Well written and the reality of TRUTH... But I don't think whatever your Plant and Assistant Plant Managers attempt to do will change the future of FRAP. Those decisions are decided from way up the Totem Pole from where those people stand.......

How is the morale at FRAP?

They can scare everyone into doing a better job, but with no money being spent to improve anything, that won't really work. Morale is the lowest I've ever seen, and ours is usually pretty low anyway! Reliable sources (from the Glass House telling plant higher ups) are saying contracted bosses will be cut October 1 and the second shift will be cut soon after. Our production numbers are dropping fast and we are now working less than 40 hours with a 420 build number. Next month it starts at 370 and drops to 320 within that month. How long can you have 2 shifts running 30-35 hours a week? Our max production is 280,000 units a year. We are currently at 140,000 and dropping. 90 percent of the 2019 Lincolns are already built. (total sales this year will be around 12,000...we did 18,000 last year) This year we will sell under 80,000 Mustangs in the states and another 45,000 around the world. Ford doesn't have anywhere to put 1,500 displaced workers, or they would have cut a shift 6-12 months ago. Luckily for them over 500 people have retired in the last year as most originals were hired in 87 (when the plant started) and 88. I finally moved into the top 1,000 in plant seniority after 2 decades, and we still have over 500 workers with exactly 30 years or more left. Half of our entire workforce is part time or has 2012 or worse seniority! Afternoon shift has a horrible attendance problem and 70% of them have a restriction or FMLA! The part timers and day shift people working over to help afternoons start up are the only thing keeping it going! I know it is bad at lots of other plants, but they all have good selling products. We will be this slow for 2-3 more years. If we stay on 2 shifts, a lot of us will have to get a second job!

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Ford is still plotting it's turn around strategy believe it or not, the cutting hasn't really begun yet. Fields made it a mission to save FRAP with product but the status of those products have changed recently. FRAP is still scheduled to get Ford's AV vans, which are apparently being retrofitted in a new facility being constructed across the street from FRAP (but Ford's AV commitments have slowed since Fields announced them for FRAP). . Mustang also doesn't have any free space at other Ford facilities. Since it's not moving to CD6 (although related), it may not be possible to move to Chicago with Explorer. Unless Ford moves production from Mexico or Canada, FRAP is not on tap to get any volume product.

It's already been announced that the Mustang is going to be a wide body for 2022 model on the CD6 platform. It will be on the same RWD/AWD platform as the Explorer. Autoline covered this 2 months ago. The point is it won't be on an unique platform anymore, so other plants could build it. FRAP could build other CD6 platform cars if we are still around to do it, but the way we are losing money, Ford is only worried about the Mustang, not about this plant!

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The Glass House told our new plant manager and asst. plant manager they were being sent in to get Flat Rock into tip top shape, and if they didn't, we wouldn't have to worry about 2 shifts or even 1 shift. They threatened them with the possible closure of FRAP. We have been told the Lincoln can be run out before next summer and the Mustang can be moved. (In a few years it will be built on the new CD-6 midsize platform that every other midsize will share) They could still build autonomous vehicles and have the data center, but no mass production vehicles would have to be made there. The thing all of have to worry about is the annualized rate of vehicles made in North America is set to drop from a current 17 million down to 12-13 million in 5 years. Autoline Daily reported this in July and Ford and GM both agreed with it. The new ride sharing and autonomous vehicles are said to replace 15 new regular vehicles with only 1 of them. A third less teenagers are getting drivers license's than in past decades and far fewer young people can afford ANY new cars. The payment, insurance and rising gas prices are getting to be too far out of reach even if mommy and daddy help them out. Autoline is based out of Detroit and is highly respected in the business and auto community. Autoline's host, John McElroy also recently reported that Ford and GM are expected to only need 60% of their current plant capacities within 5 years. Less cars made, less plants needed; equals less workers. I believe we will see plant contraction again soon after contract negotiations. Cities are being pushed to use far more public transportation, young people have taken to it in big numbers and can't afford new cars anyway. We will see lots more ride sharing cars available soon and zip cars are taking off in big cities right now (they are parked on the street wherever the last person left them after renting them. You swipe your credit card in them and drive where you want and it charges your card once you are done). The prediction of the annualized rate didn't even factor in any possibility of recession, which would speed up the 5 year projection timetable even faster. More people are buying used cars every day because they can't qualify for a new car loan or lease. Hell, some people's mortgages are less per month than a new car payment on a 50,000 car with on a 6 year loan! Other plants with trucks and SUV's have way more job security than FRAP, but if the industry shrinks 40% in 5 years, we will lose 2 or 3 plants. Ford knows this and that's why no one gets hired when people retire now. They keep using part timers because we might lose 10,000 to 15,000 full time jobs within 5 years. FRAP won't fix anything in the plant that doesn't relate to assembly and production. The air conditioning in the shop office/HR has been broken since May. Almost all bathrooms flood with backed up or overflowed sewage, burnt out lights aren't replaced anymore, fans aren't fixed anymore, roof leaks are just tarped...NO MONEY is being spent because they are not sure of the plant's future. I've been through 2 shift reductions in 2 decades, but this seems a lot worse. We almost closed right before we got the Fusion and were saved on the last possible day by a deal cut by the union. I'm not confident we will be that lucky again in the near future.

 

I don't think that it is so much the autonomous car movement which, IMHO, it is something whose interest is fading fast. I think the market is due for a correction economically, but I do not see a dramatic permanent drop-off as many predict. I feel it is the poor product and production planning on the part of Ford. FRAP is hampered by its lack of flexibility in the paint shop- it is still set up to build vehicles no larger than the sedans and small coupes it has always built. Lincoln is still trying to find a direction like it has been the last 15 years. If Lincoln is only going to build SUVs and CUVs, it may not be long for this world. What it really needs are true "American" luxury cars such as a large RWD 220" sedan, and a new Mark IX- not Acura and Lexus lookalike cars like the MKZ.

 

Except for the Mullaly years, Ford has been plagued by piss poor upper management this millennium moving from one crises to another. As nice a guy as Hackett is, I feel that he is a place holder until they can bring someone with auto experience in to run the place from the outside. Hackett seems obsessed with cost cutting and as we have seen in the past, you can't cut your way to prosperity.

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A message from our UAW plant chairman Larry Stewart indicated the 5 upcoming down weeks at FRAP were increased to 9 total weeks by January. The company is still trying to find ways to keep 2 shifts going, but I think as soon as MAP gets ready to start its' second shift, we will have someplace to put a lot of our lower seniority members if we lose our afternoon shift. I am amazed they haven't cut their losses yet and cut B shift. (We are currently working about 35 hours a week and that will drop even more next month.) The company hates our plant and our workers, but as much as they don't want to, they will probably have to offer buyouts to clear out the 30+ year people. If they wait until contract time, those workers will also be eligible for signing bonuses and it will cost Ford a lot more to get rid of them. They would save hundreds of millions in health care costs to get as many current workers to retire and let VEBA foot that bill. As our credit rating is reaching junk status, Ford will need to spend some cash for buyouts in order to save big money on legacy costs. Fuzzymoomoo, I couldn't agree more about Hackett. Even if he had some leadership skills, the public and Wall Street investors see him as a failure, which makes everything Ford does seem like a failure! Somebody get Alan Mulally on the phone and cut a deal to bring him back ASAP!

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A message from our UAW plant chairman Larry Stewart indicated the 5 upcoming down weeks at FRAP were increased to 9 total weeks by January. The company is still trying to find ways to keep 2 shifts going, but I think as soon as MAP gets ready to start its' second shift, we will have someplace to put a lot of our lower seniority members if we lose our afternoon shift. I am amazed they haven't cut their losses yet and cut B shift. (We are currently working about 35 hours a week and that will drop even more next month.) The company hates our plant and our workers, but as much as they don't want to, they will probably have to offer buyouts to clear out the 30+ year people. If they wait until contract time, those workers will also be eligible for signing bonuses and it will cost Ford a lot more to get rid of them. They would save hundreds of millions in health care costs to get as many current workers to retire and let VEBA foot that bill. As our credit rating is reaching junk status, Ford will need to spend some cash for buyouts in order to save big money on legacy costs. Fuzzymoomoo, I couldn't agree more about Hackett. Even if he had some leadership skills, the public and Wall Street investors see him as a failure, which makes everything Ford does seem like a failure! Somebody get Alan Mulally on the phone and cut a deal to bring him back ASAP!

 

I think Mulally left when he felt he'd taught all he could. Unfortunately, Mark Fields and the other suits threw out the Mulally playbook and went back to their old methods and priorities to secure their career positions, maximize bonuses, etc. and making short term product and marketing decisions that have hurt the company's long term outlook with the public's and investors perceptions, etc.

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MAP Will not need any workers when the Ranger build starts.

MAP Is trying to figure out what to do with the workers they already have.

They sent the extras to Body instead of laying us off. Greg ONeil and the bargaining reps pushed for it knowing they would need the people next year when the Bronco launches.
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