Editoral from a Ford Dealership regarding the Big 3 & the Bailout

[fordktpjoe]

So what is YOUR actual hourly rate if you take off all the legacy costs but include your medical and penssion costs?

I am not sure what you do at the plant but the guys I see with a machine that picks up the seat puts it in the car and tightens down 4 bolts with a torque specific wrench should not be making $28 an hour plus bennies. In the construction field I am in most guys do not come close to doing that.

It is on par with toyota/honda/nissan, in the neighborhood of $43-$47

But understand, if we take a pay cut, so will they, just so they can say they still make less than us. Mark my words, watch and see.

That fella using the hoist to put the seat in? dunno about the other plants, but I work at Kentucky Truck, where Superduties are made.....just imagine how much that seat weighs.

Those seats are put in on the "trim shop" assembly line. that line moves at 75-80 jobs per hour, meaning that fella has 45-48 SECONDS to put that seat in that truck, and get it torqued. Wanna try it? A LOT of folks can't hold that job.

Across town at LAP (Louisville Assembly Plant) where most of your Explorers were made, they run VERY close to 90 JPH! Still sound like easy work?

My Job?

I work on "Engine Deck" What's that? I take the Engine/Transmission/Transfercase combo off of the overhead conveyor, (with a hoist of course) then, with an assistant wrestle this combo between the frame rails, pushing/pulling, shoving/tugging, to get the motor mounts, and trans mount lined up so we can set it into position. Then I slide one motor mount bolt into place, snap two connectors together, pick up the rear driveshaft, and start the rear driveshaft bolts so the man next to me can "shoot" them.

And I have a minute and a half to do this. 40 jobs per hour, 10 hours a day.

This line only stops for breaks and lunch. other than that it keeps on truckin'.

Gotta take a piss? Get a drink of water? Turn on the yellow light, and when (if) a team leader sees it, he'll come down and jump on your job for ya, so you can go to the bathroom. Don't be to long though, you are being timed.

There are "stop buttons" we can use to stop the line if we have an issue, but we are threatened with a write up, and time off if we stop the line for anything the company doesn't deem "necessary". (their discretion of course)

Keep in mind, these Eng/Trans/X-fer combos, (depending on configuration) can weigh anywhere from 1,100 to 1,500 pounds, with a V8 gasoline, automatic, 2WD being the lightest, and a Diesel, manual, 4X4 being the heaviest.

 

[RockRanger]

If I could work 40 hours a month, 50 weeks a year and make $56K guaranteed with no stress, no negotiations, no losing sales to the next guy, no gray hairs, no p!ssed off customers, no deadlines and 2 weeks off unpaid with a $300 health deduct I would be very very satisfied. Even at $28 an hour it may be a little high for the quality of work.

Don't forget lying in bed at night not sleeping cause you are not sure what and when the next pay check is coming. Or hoping you bid the project right and do not end up working for free cause you forgot something. Or having to compete against the guy that doesnt pay taxes or hold insurance, or even legal to do the work.

Sign me up for that job. I can use the 20 hours a week extra that I am not having to work to start another business. Heck between my wife and I we would save over $6000 a year just in medical insurance.

Just not sure if I could handle my vacation time being cut down to only two weeks a year. I kind of like taking 8 weeks off throughout the year instead. However when I work it is all work. No coffee breaks, no watercooler chats, no office parties, no surfing the web, no personal callsn. Just like in sports when I was raised when you step on the field that is all that is done. Even when I am screwing around like now I have plans out looking at future jobs or doing research for another one.