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Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Cars
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:30 am
by dales
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/1 ... ore-469790
With video imbedded.
They are back! Two years ago, a group of Chrysler workers were caught were caught drinking and doobing on their lunch break. Not just that, they were caught on camera by a local TV station. The video went viral, and Chrysler was forthwith associated with quality enhanced by booze and marijuana. 13 workers were fired. Yesterday, they got their jobs back, courtesy of Chrysler’s contract with the UAW.
The workers followed a grievance procedure process outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Chrysler and the United Auto Workers. The matter went to arbitration. Two years later, an arbitrator decided in the workers’ favor, citing “insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold the dismissals.” Apparently, a video wasn’t good enough.
In a statement, Chrysler says it does not agree with the decision. However, the company is “in the tough spot of having to accept the arbitrator’s decision, just as the Union must when the ruling is in the favor of the company.”
The UAW has not commented.
Moral: If you want to drink and smoke dope on your lunch break, the union makes you strong.
Re: Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Car
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:34 pm
by Lord Jim
I saw this last week on the news....
I'm not surprised the union "hasn't commented"....this isn't exactly boffo good publicity for them either...
In the video the reporter says that the company has also refused to comment on whether or not the Party Boys received their back pay for the past two years, which almost certainly means that they did, (or at the very least got a sizable portion of it.)
Re: Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Car
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:34 pm
by Guinevere
Most certainly they got their back pay, although probably not with interest.
What I've learned about labor arbitrators in the last several years -- they need to keep all parties satisfied to be chosen from the list. When a case goes to arbitration the AAA compiles a list of 10 or so arbitrators and each side ranks them and submits to AAA who attempts to find a match. If a particular arbitrator consistently rules for one side or the other, they will never be a "match." So, no matter how good your case is, no matter how persuasive your evidence or your witnesses, if the arbitrator needs to rule for the other side, they will. Or, they will find a way to "split the baby" in some Solomon-like fashion.
All a perfect example of why judges and judge-like creatures should not be elected or otherwise rely on the community they are "judging" for their bread and butter. But so it goes, in the rough and tumble world of labor law.
Re: Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Car
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:10 am
by dales
And that is why I will never purchase any car assembled by the UAW.
Re: Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Car
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:34 am
by MajGenl.Meade
dales wrote:And that is why I will never purchase any car assembled by the UAW.
uh, dales? I thought you were a "grow free and smoke it" kind of guy? But not for the UAW eh?
Re: Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Car
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:12 pm
by liberty
My mother and brother were in the UAW; they told me that up to twenty five percent of the workers were nearly worthless. This is one of the reasons that we don’t compete well. I advocate state mandated and enforced state work rules that would supersede union contracts.
Re: Chrysler’s Drunk, Stoned Autoworkers Are Back Making Car
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:09 pm
by dgs49
Dare I make a political point?
If Our Beloved President had not intervened in the bankruptcy of Chrysler, then the company (the part of it that survived) would have jettisoned its ridiculous UAW contract, along with its counterproductive and illogical "work rules." These workers would have been summarily fired, thus providing a clear example to their co-workers that this sort of conduct would NOT be tolerated. Now, we have the opposite: an object example of the principle that you can get away with anything while under the protection of this cluster-fuck of a contract.
Therefore, this absurdity can be laid squarely at the feet of our recently-elected President-for-Life. Those of you who voted for him, and believe that he "saved the American auto industry" can therefore take comfort in this story and its final conclusion.