The recent decision by Chrysler to give employees a mandatory, unpaid two week vacation has workers peeved, and it's tough to blame them. Many long-time workers have already planned and paid for vacations that land outside of July 7-21, so those employees will have to cancel their plans or risk going unpaid for two weeks. It's very public news that Chrysler isn't exactly rolling in fortunes, and employees know that sacrifices being made, but as the Freep points out, Chrysler management really botched this one.
The problem lies with the absence of communication regarding vacation time until less than four months before the scheduled time off, when many plans are already set, and some vacation is already taken. Then there's the fact that some of the product development is being shuttered for two whole weeks when Chrysler is already behind the competition and can't afford to take half a month off. Cerberus may be new to the auto industry, but it isn't taking the private company long to disenfranchise its employees.
[Source: Free Press]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dude @ Mar 27th 2008 8:58AM
It must be tough making ends meet at $60 an hour.
Stuff like this happens at a lot of companies, but at least their employees don't go whining to the press about it. Deal with it and move on. If it's unacceptable, leave the company. Nobody is forcing them to stay.
Frylock350 @ Mar 27th 2008 9:14AM
$60 an hour is their total package, not their pay rate.
J @ Mar 27th 2008 9:49PM
Unions are used to summer shutdowns and temporary shift cutbacks. Name another company that forces 2 weeks UNPAID vacation on their WHITE COLLAR workers? Engineers that are already underpaid, and are lucky to get a freaking cost of living raise every three years. Employee moral? What's that?
Bob Nardelli and co. are failing miserably.
mr.ed @ Mar 27th 2008 9:01AM
These guys will bitch about anything. Not long ago, the Twinsburg OH plant was working 24/7 and they were complaining about too many hours, many of them union scale overtime.
J.Crew @ Mar 27th 2008 9:04AM
Doing things like this to your employees sure makes it a lot easier to sell the company off to a new owner down the road. The staff will be so beat up that any new owner would be a breath of fresh air. It is kind of like a dog (employees) that has been beaten and left outside in the cold while the owner (minimum Bob Nardelli) sits inside eating a big steak dinner (huge compensation plan).
J.Crew @ Mar 27th 2008 9:08AM
BTW - I am referring to the staff in Auburn Hills, not the UAW workers that the above posts refer to. The way I read this story is that this is in regards to the office staff in Auburn Hills. Summer shutdowns happen every summer and I am sure the UAW is familiar with down time.
John Starnes @ Mar 27th 2008 9:12AM
One can't expect respect and empathy for the workers with Nardelli at the helm...within months of his taking over Home Depot the morale at my Home Depot store visibly plunged. But then again the ultra-wealthy can't even begin to relate to blue collar people with families to support since when he got fired from Home Depot, Nardelli departed with just under one third of a BILLION dollars....here's hoping that he and the missus didn't have to resort to clipping coupons to make ends meet.
FThorn @ Mar 27th 2008 9:12AM
It's not uncommon practice. And all the dozens of workers I know have not complained. Seriously, most all of these guys have ALWAYS
1. wanted to work
2. been happy to work
3. wanted to work overtime
4. wanted to work without interruptions (strikes, lay-offs, etc)
Again, I know a guy that worked for 60 years at a factory. That's a person that paid INTO social security and medicare/aid and did not use it during those years. Fine example of pulling one's weight.
RobAFromNC @ Mar 27th 2008 9:35AM
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Gstill @ Mar 27th 2008 9:39AM
Chrysler better keep their workers happy. I wouldn't want any guys on the assembly line to do a lackluster job putting the cars together. The interiors of the cars may turn out awful. Wait, nevermind.
cowboy bob @ Mar 27th 2008 9:43AM
Oh come on! Anybody with half a brain has known for at least a decade that the American auto industry has been, is, and will continue to be, under pressure. If a person is so stupid as to not have provided for the possibility of a period of reduced income by now, they deserve no pity. This is a perfect example of stupid, stupid, stupid people. Go out on strike now, and finish yourselves off once and for all. I have no sympathy for blatent stupidity. I agree the upermanagement is overpaid. So what's new? It won't change. That is no excuse for being STUPID!!
Ferg @ Mar 27th 2008 10:01AM
I'm not a fan of the UAW at all, but you have to admit, it would suck to have to take two weeks unpaid vacation. Everyone has to realize that not all workers have been there for 20+ years. there are many new workers that don't have an opportunity to save up and prepare for times like these. I would be complaining as well. Its not too nice of a company to wait until close to the time of it happening for this to happen. If it were a years notice, it would have been more acceptable because people would have been able to plan better for it.
Jason @ Mar 27th 2008 10:29AM
Why is this news?
GM has been doing this two week break thing for more than ten years.
Ford's been taking a one week break for about 8 that I know of.
It actually works out really well for the employees because work stops for everyone at once. When people come back they're not scrambling to catch up with things that went on while they were gone. It makes the first day back less stressful for everyone.
The fact that it's TWO week unpaid break means that the employees can collect unemployment if they want to go to the effort to get it.
So what's the big deal? The fact that some people were surprised by it? So what?
Steve_S @ Mar 27th 2008 10:34AM
Of course this could all be a ruse to file Chap. 11 while the staff is away....
tanooki2003 @ Mar 27th 2008 10:40AM
My suggestion is "Deal with it" You guys made your dirty bed now you shall lie in your own filth.
That One Person @ Mar 27th 2008 4:56PM
The problem with that idea is that a lot of those workers didn't make their "dirty bed".
They just do what they are told. If they don't do it, it's bye-bye.
My father is a UAW member (skilled trades) and he doesn't pull the supposed three hour lunch breaks at the bar, have someone else punch in for him, sleep on the job, etc. Things have changed. If you want to see those kinds of activities, look at the engineers. I frequent a local bar every Friday from noon until 2pm and it's full of Ford, GM, Roush engineers and engineers from other small companies. Think about it: these are the people who design the vehicles and the other systems that go into those vehicles. That time could be spent on projects that insure a better product.
Also, think about those workers who have kids in college. Or other expenses. Or the workers who don't make the supposed $80 an hour. For some of those workers who make $14-15 an hour, two weeks can be a real hardship. My employer is talking about laying me off for three weeks. Now, I only make $10 an hour but that is a paycheck and a half that I don't have. And I need the money.
Garth @ Mar 27th 2008 10:54AM
They are lucky to still have high paying jobs, so what is the beef.
Jimbo @ Mar 27th 2008 12:01PM
It wouldn't surprise me if Chrysler did this on purpose. Scheduling the downtime during the two weeks most people take paid vacation doesn't help them financially one bit. This way, they actually get out of paying workers for 2 weeks.
And by delaying the announcement until many people had their vacations locked in, they can effectively shut down for a whole month and only have to pay people for half of it.
Sure, it sucks for the workers and I'd be pissed off too. But Chrysler definitely knew what they were doing here.
DKB_SATX @ Mar 27th 2008 12:53PM
Actually it's not that different. If every Chrysler employee had paid vacation to burn during the 2 week shutdown, Chrysler would be reducing a liability (that banked paid-vacation time) and not paying wages and salaries out of regular accounts. Paid time off that the company is required to pay is a liability on the books.
Ultimo Dragon @ Mar 27th 2008 12:17PM
I'm willing to bet the criticism here would be much more muted if your employer told you to stay home for two weeks--oh, and you won't be getting paid.
Of course, it isn't so much their complaints as it is the fact that they're union workers. You know, that dying breed of folks ballsy enough to fight for fair wages, safety, and job security. Who the hell do they think they are? It's an employer's right to screw workers over! If I don't like how I'm being taken for granted, I should find another job--this is America, jack!