Well I guess you have all heard the news. Monday GM announced that they will close the Oklahoma City assembly Facility.
I worked for a GM contractor for 2.5 years and was laid off last Oct. and guess what the UAW did not do squat for us. We were told “that’s just how it goes” well now the rest of the workers out there are now in the same boat, and as I do empathize with all of them I will cry no tears for them.
They will now see what the rest of us have had to deal with for the last 26 years.
Getting up going to work.
Not knowing if you will have a job when you get there.
Having no say in your job (Do it or we will find someone who will).
Having no grievance procedure against management.
Living from paycheck to paycheck.
Having to pay a premium for health Insurance.
ETC.
And they have done it to themselves, $25.50 to $45.00 per hour wages, free Insurance, now there is nothing wrong with making a living wage, but 5times what the average for this area! Come on get real.
Where I feel sorry for some out there is most of them have no marketable skills, this is the only job that lots of them have ever had, and the average age of them is 52 years old, thats a little old to be starting over.
Also I guess GM does not care about the support companies that exist for the sole purpose of suppling this plant, and all of their workers that they have just unemployed.
As long as the board of Directors, and Stockholders NEVER EVER have to do without.
The employees of those companies are who my sadness is directed, some of those persons are quite possibly some of the finest persons I have ever known and worked with.
Johnson Controls Inc.
Collins and Aikman.
A-1 Rework services
QPS.
Flex-N-Gate. Ada OK.
Choctaw Express Inc.
Logistics Insights Co.
Penske Logistics.
and last but certainly not least
Logistics Services Inc. LSI (you don’t go thru a tornado with people and not grow close to them) My drivers I had there are the finest crew that I ever had the pleasure of working with, and treasure their friendship tremendously.
The employees of those companies are who I wish all of you to keep in your thoughts and prayers (if applicable) this holiday season.
I can only hope that this will be a wakeup call to the UAW that they can’t have everything they want, sometimes when negotiating on the employees behalf they have to look at the big picture as well as the future.
I have heard so many reasons this couple of days, the reason simply is with the UAW, Workers, and the Fat Cats in Detroit. No More, No Less.
“The fault dear Brutus lies not within our stars, but within our selves”
Shakespeare.