Randal Fardal describes his experience from many years ago
One of my first assignments was to find a way to route engine control cables more efficiently. If successful, that project would have saved material, improved product reliability, and made it easier for union installers to build our products. All three stakeholders would benefit from the results: the company would reduce its production costs; our customers would get better (and perhaps less costly) products; and our laborers would have less rework. Win-win-win.
Although this particular company had one of the industry's best relationships with its unions, my boss still warned me to be careful not to antagonize anyone as I ventured toward the shop floor with my clipboard and safety glasses. I dutifully tracked down a lead worker, explained my mission politely, and was escorted to one of the 4000 cubic inch engines that had just come off the assembly line.
We found a long scrap of sparkplug cable so I could test various paths for the controls and find out how best to improve their routing. The union worker even brought me a ladder so I could climb around on the awesome machine and take measurements.
A few minutes later, that same worker pointed at me and shouted, "Hey Blackie, that guy is wiring engines!"
Other union members chimed in with, "Wildcat strike!" and "Shut down the line!" Blackie and a crowd of other shop stewards gathered at the base of my ladder.
Being a college student familiar with fraternity hazing, I assumed their artificial anger would turn into smiles when I reached the reached the floor. Then they would shake my hand and say, "Welcome to the big leagues, kid." But that didn't happen. The union worker had betrayed me. Perhaps the union bosses even gave him some "walking around money" as bounty for the phony grievance he later filed.
Comments