1967 Camaro assembly line

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Too Many Projects

In October, 1972, I started working at the St. Paul Ford plant. As the low man on the seniority list, I got moved all over the plant. I, eventually, got settled starting on the F line in the morning and was lucky if I got to stay there all day. We were working Saturdays and on one, I was pulled from the truck line very soon after starting and sent to the car line, where I had to thread the trunk light in and a couple other jobs AND tear a build sheet off a printer and get it taped to the correct vehicle. It was a very fast paced I was having difficulty keeping up and told the line foreman I either needed more time with the trainer or he needed to get someone with more experience to do the job. I even told the relief man that when it was time for my break. Nope, you stay right here. Wasn't long after that, I heard a loud, angry discussion from the line foreman and someone from the office and they came back to me. I had missed a build sheet and they had 3 bodies on the floor at the marriage line with the chassis... both the guys were shouting at me and I reminded the foreman that I had told him I wasn't able to do the job and he insisted I stay on it. The guy from the office blew a gasket at that and off they went. I had a trainer next to me in a matter of minutes, but lunch break came and I was just so pissed and frustrated, I went out to my car and went home. Monday is a whole 'nuther story...

I feel your pain; been on both sides of that equation.

Folks get mighty touchy when you start shutting the line down.

K