Ford Motor Co. doesn't need any loans from the $17 billion auto industry aid package proposed Friday by President Bush.
The announcement, though, triggered both support for and criticism of the company and the United Auto Workers from former employees of Ford's Norfolk Assembly Plant, which closed last year.
"In retrospect, I can appreciate Ford's position more now," said Bob Williams, a 16-year Ford veteran who is now an admissions counselor at Norfolk State University. "I can say that they were a proactive and forward-thinking organization, even though it hurt a lot of us. It hurt me economically."
The Norfolk Assembly Plant, which produced F-150 trucks, once employed 2,400 people. Ford said it closed the plant because it could not produce the more profitable SuperCab pickups and because it was expensive and inefficient to ship parts from Midwestern suppliers.
"We could have competed with any plant in the world," said Ray Wicker, who worked there for 13 years and owns Wicker's Crab Pot Seafood in Chesapeake. "There was not a lot of waste."
Ford has met consumer demand for trucks but has been less successful with cars, said Keisha Atkinson Whitaker, a 13-year veteran of the plant.
"If they had focused in or tuned in on what people really wanted in the car industry," she said, "it would have made a bigger difference."
Most ex-workers rebuffed public grumbling about the auto industry aid and about the level of wages and benefits negotiated by the UAW.
"If the Big Three go under, it would be catastrophic," 20-year veteran Richard White Jr. said. " It would trickle down to suppliers, parts depots and the trucking industry."
White, who said the plant closing was "a blessing for me," runs Above Board Drywall & More Inc. in Chesapeake.
Unions, Williams said, were crucial in establishing overtime and child labor laws. "Some people are not accustomed to union benefits," he said. "That's what supports the middle class."
"It pays well, but your body pays for that," said Whitaker, who made $27 a hour in the chassis department when the plant closed. "When you're in there, working eight or 10-hour days, you're using muscles you never knew you had. Honestly, now my body feels better."
Last month, she and two sisters opened Jungle Gym Indoor Inflatable Party & Jump Center in Virginia Beach.
Wicker, however, said it should be easier at Ford "to fire someone if you need to fire someone."
Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Jobs didn't go overseas
The jobs didn't go over seas. They went to robots and computers that can build the cars cheaper and with more precision. They also went to Toyota (and other) plants here in the US. They pay their people less and don't have the legacy of retirees collecting pensions and other benefits.
There's really no such thing as foreign and domestic in the auto industry anymore. Ford, GM, Toyota, and all the other big players have plants all over the world.
Level the Playing Field!
The "naive" American consumer needs to realize that the Japanese automakers have a distinct advantage over ours. First and foremost their legacy costs are subsidized by their country. Secondly, they utilize large labor pools of part-time workers to "assembly" their vehicles here in the U.S. and pay little or no benefits. Third, quotas exist in Japan that limits the amount of American cars that can be imported. In addition, their reinvestment in America is very limited.
The argument that their quality is so much better is no longer valid. American car quality is on-par with our Japanese friends, however the paradigm associated with that issue will be difficult to overcome.
I enjoyed by career at NAP, I never lived "in fear," even as the closing was announced as many of you now do at many of our local companies like the Pilot.
Unions do serve a purpose. Wait and see.Go Ford!
ex-ford
You're all correct , the American worker shouldn't receive health care and retirement benefits from their employers - these perks should be reserved for the politcians.
Hatred Palpable
I worked at the Ford plant for almost ten years, got a little ahead, paid off my bills, saved some money, and got out. Quitting two years before the closing. I never planned on making a career of it. While employed I utilized the company's generous education plan to it's fullest, had my teeth worked on, and met some good people. Including a very hard working Richard White, mentioned in this article.
Plant work is physically tough, and mind numbing work, and forces one to cope in unnatural ways to tremendous stress. I rarely had a good nights rest, and it took a great toll on my family's morale, and my happiness. But, the plant is closed now, so nobody has to worry about a guy drinking coffee on the clock at Indian River Rd and Springfield anymore. God Bless America.
Far from jealousy
I go to work everyday and get paid for what I do. I am educated and went to school to get educated. Unions are not good for our economy. If a person works hard they are gonig to get paid well. The UAW gives a person an excuse not to get educated, go to work, and only do the minimum work possible and get paid highly for it. The UAW is what is causing the collapse of the three American Car Makers. Toyota can make a profit, while GM loses over $30 billion selling the same amount of cars. If America would get rid of unions, maybe we can get employees working for the car manfacturers that will put effort and care for the product they produce. Until then, GM, Ford, and Chrysler will fall. I will not buy an American Made Car again. If you poll the average American, they feel the same way.
Fact corrections
Unions had nothing to do with either child labors laws or overtime pay.
Child labor laws were finally passed after years of attemps by non-labor organizations as a response to the Great Depression.
It was not done to protect children, it was done to free up jobs for adults.
The unions did not establish overtime, it is much older than unions, and they didn't have much to do with the FLSA in America either.
Union Bashing
Sad to see all the union bashing in some comments here. Jealousy is a sad thing. Lay the blame for jobs going overseas where they belong:CORPORATE GREED. As a union worker, I know they are not perfect. However, it is nice to go to work every day knowing I have rights in the workplace and will be paid a good salary and benefits..The ones who complain the loudest about unions need to get over it. This economy revolves around people with good jobs spending money. Just because they work for nothing doesn't mean everyone should. What kind of future are our childern going to have? 8 bucks an hour in retail????
Whiners
All this whining about making $27 an hour. You forgot the medical and retirement benefits as well that made that $27 an hour figure seem small to the total compensation. That is compensation that people would kill for. You were being well paid to use thos emuscles you didn't know you had. Unions had their place many, many years ago, but today they drive up costs and cost us jobs when companies flee overseas where the workforce is much cheaper.
Ford Plant
Plain and simple. As a worker at the Ford Plant and not employed by Ford, I saw highly over paid workers ( a lot more than $27 per hr) sitting on their butts, doing nothing when they were on the clock, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, playing card games, selling cosmetics, drinking alcohol, (the list goes on and on). Not all workers did this but those who did, made it worse for those who did their job and the UAW protected the good and bad. No question....the UAW is and still will be a major reason for the Auto industry failures.
No Sympathy Here
For those who complain about the standing on concrete floors for 8 to 10 hours per day and feeling pain in muscles they never knew they had while making $27 per hour... oh well, it's called work! There are many people who will work harder for less money. Unfortunately, some of the lazy working class wants to deport those hard working low wage earners back across the border.