Interesting words from a former NUMMI employee

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IMakeVibes
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:11 am

Interesting words from a former NUMMI employee

Post by IMakeVibes »

This was posted today on one of the forums for ex-NUMMI employees in response to the story below it. This pretty much sums up the NUMMI (or GM, Ford, Toyota, etc.) experience. The "stretching out air compressed lines" he is referring to is the air lines for the tools used to assemble the vehicles and being so far out of the work area that the lines stretch so far that they break or come apart at the coupler. "Thinking about it as a Caged animal for many years. Left in an imaginary chain chained to what is know as the assembly line. I don't give a **** what they say, we that were on that Line know we earned every penny. Having to do things in 93 seconds on each truck all day and then the fully loaded packages with all the accessories would take 120 seconds so you were in what we call the hole. Stretching out air compressed lines to the end and even sometimes ripping them off and wild like hoses with metal ends swinging around. I remember onetime grabbing one like a snake about to strike also the others who ran as they looked at me like I was some crazy *******. I didn't think about how to do it I just did that is how the mind and body work. The hand is one of God's greatest creations with out them... we are useless. I know because every morning I am reminded of how much I was paid and how much damage I did to myself for 10 out of 12 years on that line. Many never last 5 years and I have seen many walk away after only a shift. I remember an Older Mexican Man named Benny he said if you can work here you can work anywhere and that is very true. The pride of the hard working is beyond anyone's comparison, we knew who our friends were because they came to work and they were there. Those days of individuals that never showed up. We have to Thank them, they are the ones who closed the doors.Fact is in and the proof is out there the Best Vehicles ever made shall be the Toyota's of that era. Also as far as the Trucks they shall be running way after the Road Warriors of the future."http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/m....htmlSure, we made good money at NUMMI, I won't lie about that - most auto workers do (or at least did). Just before NUMMI closed, we were making about the $29/hr that the GM employees were. Add in cost of living and shift premium and sure, we were up to about $35/hr at the highest, and a couple of additional dollars for them skilled trades maintenance workers that kept the equipment running. We knew we were getting paid well. So many of us knew it, that when things were looking critical at NUMMI and it looked like shutting down may be a reality (before it was officially announced) we proposed to the union to offer the company a pay cut. No, we didn't want to take a pay cut, but if it meant the difference between keeping the company alive or not, sure we'd take a 25% or so cut. But the union said no, they were determined to fight the companies (GM, Toyota, and NUMMI) all the way. Well, we see where we all ended up.On the other hand, it is wrong what GM has done in their plants. To have someone working next to you, working just as hard and making 40% or 50% of what you make only because they were hired under a different labor contract is wrong. Or to outsource jobs to another company who brings their people in to do the same job at 1/3 or the wage with no benefits is wrong. Sure, its business, I understand that, and I guess its better than outsourcing out of the country, but that still doesn't make it right.
scherry2
Posts: 4073
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 8:02 am

Re: Interesting words from a former NUMMI employee (IMakeVibes)

Post by scherry2 »

wow thats exactly how it was at GM. except GM went to all Electric tools instead of air. the hoses didn't fly around when they broke but they still stretched out of the "footprint" and broke.
jake75
Posts: 4792
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:33 pm
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: Interesting words from a former NUMMI employee (scherry2)

Post by jake75 »

Probably 4-50 years ago I remember talking to a former GM worker. He told me his job was to install 12 bolts within a small time frame. Said on average he could get in about 8. He always wondered how those cars held up.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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