Back to the Plant
Went into the plant Wednesday, for the first time
since I retired four years ago. I was there as a volunteer with the union election committee,
guarding a ballot box in Cafeteria No. 1. It was a bit like coming home, as I've
eaten more meals there than anywhere else in my life. Not to mention working on
a couple million minivans right outside those doors.
After the most recent buy-out binge
some stewards left office, either retiring themselves or filling appointed
positions that had become vacant. My partner and I were responsible for three
ballots, covering workers in assembly, stock, inspection, clerks and skilled
trades.
Unlike many auto plants in North America, Chrysler's Windsor Assembly is running full out. Everyone on layoff has been called back, overtime is abundant, and many of the students hired on as temporary part timers are working six days a week. It seems so many workers retired, and weren't replaced, they can barely keep the lines running. And that's why I and some other retirees were called in. Management said it couldn't free up all the active workers who usually run the elections.
Besides the internal speedup several assembly lines were outsourced to nearby parts plants. The company still intends to eliminate a few hundred more jobs in the coming months, while at the same time adding a production run for Volkswagen.
Those new shops are paying their hourly employees ten to twelve dollars an hour, as opposed to the over $30 an hour Chrysler pays. The C.A.W. is looking forward to unionizing the newcomers but no one is expecting large wage gains. In fact the bargaining environment is so vulnerable the union has made a no strike pledge to parts manufacturer Magna International.
I had hoped to spend some time visiting my old zone, pre-trim, but the steady stream of voters didn't allow for that. As it was a lot of friends did drop by to say hello and make me feel guilty for abandoning them for the good life.
At the end of my Chrysler career I was a production coordinator, an hourly position with many of the responsibilities of a supervisor but little formal authority. I looked after my zone and its 70 workers. That job has been eliminated, along with the utility and repair positions. Instead the workforce has been broken down into teams, of six to twelve workers, each with a leader who takes care of communication, training, supplies, repairs, absentee replacement and passes to first aid or the washroom. On good days I used to have time to walk my lines and plan ahead for the coming week. My impression, after talking with some friends who have become leaders, is that they are lucky to get any time at all to think beyond the immediate.
Next spring Windsor Assembly will hold general elections. There will be six fewer steward positions then, because of the shrinking plant population. I wouldn't want the job. A steward has to represent hundreds of workers, visiting each at least several times a week, if not daily. It's impossible to satisfy everyone and many issues never get resolved, but keep evolving into different problems.
I was surprised at the competition for this week's by-elections. One of our ballots had five names, another four. Of the five elections across the plant two will require run-offs next week. To win a candidate must get a majority of the votes cast. Pity Parliament doesn't work that way.
On the other hand, it looks like even the traditional shop steward is being eliminated in the Magna agreements. They are not going to let just anybody run anymore.
*****
Historical footnote: This isn't the first time an auto workers union has made a no strike pledge.
From Wartime Strikes: The struggle against the no-strike pledge in the UAW during World War II, by Martin Glaberman.
Update: The Toronto Star reports on "stinging and sometimes searing criticism" of the Magna agreement by some past and present leaders in the C.A.W. Buzz says he's not worried.
Unlike many auto plants in North America, Chrysler's Windsor Assembly is running full out. Everyone on layoff has been called back, overtime is abundant, and many of the students hired on as temporary part timers are working six days a week. It seems so many workers retired, and weren't replaced, they can barely keep the lines running. And that's why I and some other retirees were called in. Management said it couldn't free up all the active workers who usually run the elections.
Besides the internal speedup several assembly lines were outsourced to nearby parts plants. The company still intends to eliminate a few hundred more jobs in the coming months, while at the same time adding a production run for Volkswagen.
Those new shops are paying their hourly employees ten to twelve dollars an hour, as opposed to the over $30 an hour Chrysler pays. The C.A.W. is looking forward to unionizing the newcomers but no one is expecting large wage gains. In fact the bargaining environment is so vulnerable the union has made a no strike pledge to parts manufacturer Magna International.
I had hoped to spend some time visiting my old zone, pre-trim, but the steady stream of voters didn't allow for that. As it was a lot of friends did drop by to say hello and make me feel guilty for abandoning them for the good life.
At the end of my Chrysler career I was a production coordinator, an hourly position with many of the responsibilities of a supervisor but little formal authority. I looked after my zone and its 70 workers. That job has been eliminated, along with the utility and repair positions. Instead the workforce has been broken down into teams, of six to twelve workers, each with a leader who takes care of communication, training, supplies, repairs, absentee replacement and passes to first aid or the washroom. On good days I used to have time to walk my lines and plan ahead for the coming week. My impression, after talking with some friends who have become leaders, is that they are lucky to get any time at all to think beyond the immediate.
Next spring Windsor Assembly will hold general elections. There will be six fewer steward positions then, because of the shrinking plant population. I wouldn't want the job. A steward has to represent hundreds of workers, visiting each at least several times a week, if not daily. It's impossible to satisfy everyone and many issues never get resolved, but keep evolving into different problems.
I was surprised at the competition for this week's by-elections. One of our ballots had five names, another four. Of the five elections across the plant two will require run-offs next week. To win a candidate must get a majority of the votes cast. Pity Parliament doesn't work that way.
On the other hand, it looks like even the traditional shop steward is being eliminated in the Magna agreements. They are not going to let just anybody run anymore.
*****
Historical footnote: This isn't the first time an auto workers union has made a no strike pledge.
From Wartime Strikes: The struggle against the no-strike pledge in the UAW during World War II, by Martin Glaberman.
A majority of the auto workers who voted, voted to retain the no-strike pledge while the country was at war. However, the overwhelming majority of auto workers did not bother to vote. At the same time, in the period that the vote was taking place, the winter and spring of 1944 and 1945, a majority of the auto workers went out on wildcat strikes.
Update: The Toronto Star reports on "stinging and sometimes searing criticism" of the Magna agreement by some past and present leaders in the C.A.W. Buzz says he's not worried.
Posted: Sat - October 20, 2007 at 10:21 AM
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Published On: Oct 21, 2007 06:44 PM
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Published On: Oct 21, 2007 06:44 PM