Uncertainty

My dad was part of the “greatest generation”. He was raised during the Depression, fought in WWII, got married during the war, returned home, settled down and raised a “typical” family. He worked for GM before going into the Army. GM held his job for him; so he returned to employment after the war. There were some rough times, but there was a certainty working for GM in those days you would always be taken care of. As was typical in my home town, dad was able to “pave the way” to me getting interviewed and finally hired into GM.

Without going into a lot of detail, let me just say my early experiences with GM were not pleasant. Pretty much from day one I had a cynical view of the corporation. I realized the paycheck and benefits from my job allowed me to have a good life style. I also understood if I wanted to realize meaning and purpose in my life, it was not going to come from the factory floor.

During his life dad could never understand my attitude towards GM. The company in his eyes had always treated him square. So much of his identity depended upon his employment at GM. It was not till his final days he conceded to me, “You were right Jamie: that company does not care about you. I’m glad you have lived your life for yourself.” Nothing boosts your ego more than being told you were right. Having it happen in the hospital room of my dying father was a hollow victory.

My hometown of Lockport, NY was a GM town back in the day. In the late 1970’s over 10,000 people were employed at my plant. Even though at the time inflation was runaway, the factory was full of workers. There were Sheriff Patrols to control the traffic at shift changes. I guess because I pretty much supported myself during the early 1970’s with wage and price controls and then the gas crisis I was always on guard. There was always a feeling of uneasiness for me working at GM.

The bottom fell out in the early 1980’s. I spent a lot of that time being laid off. I returned back to my “clincher” for good in the spring of 1983. There were hundreds of people who lost all their seniority and were never called back.

Changes were made to the union contract that allowed GM to move workers between plants. If a plant was closing, those workers could be shifted to another plant that needed people. That pretty much stopped local hiring “off the street”.

The year I hired in back in 1976 was one of the last my plant saw of getting fresh blood for some 15 years. When I was working on transferring south to our “sister plant” in Tuscaloosa, the union fought tooth and nail so stymie the transfer. When we left the employment at the plant would drop below 5,000 causing changes to the internal workings of the union.

It was sometime in the early 1990’s GM renamed their parts division Delphi, to separate them from the car assembly plants. We workers were assured this change was “in name only” to make for easier management. My gut feeling was this was NOT in my best interest.

I finally transferred south in May 1998. This was a contract year and an ugly strike occurred at a parts division. Once again I had a gut feeling we workers would get f—ked from this action.

Sure enough in 1999 it was announced that Delphi would be spun off from GM as a separate “stand alone” corporation. Delphi workers had till the end of the year to flow back to another GM facility. My first reaction was to make that move. However, the move from Lockport, NY to Tuscaloosa, AL literally nearly killed me. There was no way I was emotionally up to move again.

I started my online journal in 2001 which documented the eventual closing of my Tuscaloosa plant. I had a window of opportunity to flow back to GM in 2004. I jumped at the chance after learning the solvency my pension would be at risk. I was considered a Delphi worker; GM had no obligation to fund my pension in the case Delphi folded. If I retired out of GM they would have to guarantee the portion of my pension that was covered by Delphi.

I retired from the Corvette Assembly Plant in September 2005. Thirty years of working, planning and saving were about to pay off.

Last year GM announced they would take over the responsibility for the Delphi pensions if needed. That news pissed me off. All the disruption in my life for those 13 months could have been avoided by just staying in Tuscaloosa and biding my time.

An underreported story was in the New York Times Friday. True to form if there is really bad news, it always breaks on a Friday. A more readable account is at http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/jul/25/union-officials-expect-delphi-pensions-to-sink/

Long story short, GM is throwing off the promise to cover the pensions of Delphi workers. An excerpt from the above link:

“Krolopp said those who retired in 1999 or earlier are not affected by the cuts because they were moved to the pension plan of General Motors, which spun off Delphi as an independent company that year.

She wondered, however, whether those pensions will be safe in the future as the automaker and its former parts unit fight for survival.”

Because I retired out of a GM plant, I’m praying my full pension will be covered by GM as spelled out in the contract. If anything, the past few years prove contacts, and past performance don’t count for much. The uncertainty continues….