A question for the auto union people (no, not about HCR)

[GliderGuider]

Since I don't know anything about modern auto worker contracts.

Is the speed of the line open to negotiation by the union? Never, sometimes, some places, always everywhere?

[HopeHoops]

1. I'm thinking "I Love Lucy" where Lucy and Ethel get the job of wrapping chocolates - conveyor belt.

I doubt it works that way in the auto industry, but it would make for a funny YouTube video.

[GliderGuider]

2. Not to that extent, but it does happen.

It's one of the ways an auto plant can improve its productivity.

[HopeHoops]

3. And perhaps lower the quality? Think back to the Lucy episode.

[GliderGuider]

4. Oh, for sure. The show's writers were probably working from real life:

The Strike at Lordstown

After the line was converted to make the Vega, GM to test the full productive capacities of the plant, and raised the speed of the assembly line from 60 cars per hour an unprecedented 100 cars per hour. One worker said:

"We were already working hard, but it got ridiculous after they raised the speed of the line. The first day they brought out a sign 'First time in GM history, 100 cars/hour' and some of the old-timers cheered, but I just thought we were fools to take it. Then they started getting competitive, and told us that the first shift ran 110 cars an hour. Pretty soon even the old-timers got sick of that shit and said, 'If first shift wants to put out 110 cars, fuck it, let 'em. We're not going to do it."

During 1971 the situation became serious for GM at Lordstown. Absenteeism, already high, increased greatly, and many workers began letting cars go by on the line without doing their jobs. There were also cases of active sabotage. The repair lots quickly filled with Vegas, and the "Car of Year" (according to Motor Trend magazine) became rapidly known to buyers as a repair-prone vehicle. Sales sagged badly and the Vega not only failed to overtake Datsun and Toyota but lagged behind Ford's Pinto. GM decided to get tough with the plant and in September, 1971, they announced that the entire plant was to be placed under the management of the General Motors Assembly Division (GMAD), a special team of managers, the following month.

On edit: GMAD apparently made things worse, not better, and the union did little to counteract the draconian disciplinary measures they instituted.