William Almy discusses his career as a skilled trades toolmaker
and UAW member at the Fisher Body plant in Lansing, MI


Cheryl McQuaid:	I'm Cheryl McQuaid.  I'm at the Lansing Car Assembly Labor Relations Conference Room.  It's October 11, 2005 at approximately 12:30 p.m.  Uh, we're about to interview Bill Almy.  Bill, would you state your name, spell your last name, and your address also, please?

Bill Almy:	My name's Bill Almy, A-L-M-Y.  I live at, uh, 5351 Schaeffer Road, Ionia, Michigan.  

Cheryl McQuaid:	And we want to take a moment to acknowledge everybody else that's present in the room.  

Doreen Howard:	Doreen Howard.

Linda Johnson:	Linda Johnson.

Marilyn Coulter:	Marilyn Coulter.

Doug Rademacher:  Doug Rademacher, Fisher Body Historical Team.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[0:41] Um, Bill, do you remember – could you tell us what you're, um, [throat clearing] seniority date is and what you remember about your first day walkin' into this plant?

Bill Almy:	Uh, September 4,1984, and I think what I remember the most is, uh, I didn't know my way around.  People actually escorted me, uh, to different locations and, and I was kinda lost.  I remember that.  I was worried that I couldn't find my way around.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[1:11] What department and shift did you hire in at?

Bill Almy:	Uh, I hired in on, uh, afternoons, and, uh, I hired in on the body shop.  My – I should probably back up a second because I actually have a, a broken seniority date.  I hired in here first in '68, in 1968 after high school and worked in the old paint department.  And, uh, and, uh, that was just, uh, same thing, I was lost in that area too.  It took me a while to learn my way around there.  And I'd worked there a year, and then I got drafted in the military.  I was gone for two years.  

	And when I came back, I came back to paint department.  Uh, uh, the area was a little more familiar then because I'd, I'd spent some time there so – and then, uh, I worked one more year and then, uh, decided I didn't care for General Motors and I quit.  And, uh, and then I came back again in '84 with a journeyman's card as a toolmaker.  I was lucky, actually, to get hired back in.  And, uh, and that's – the plant had changed quite a bit in those 11, 12 years or so.  And, uh, and once again, I was, I was kinda lost.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[2:28] What kind of changes did you see?

Bill Almy:	The structure.  The, the interior of the plant.  Uh, I – how they, they moved things around.  In the old paint days, the, uh, I believe the paint, uh, shop was where the executive car garage is now.  Somewhere in that area.  I think paint mix is where the, the shipping dock is now.  So there was quite a few changes, and I was used to kinda walkin' in that part of the plant.  And then when I hired back in in '84, uh, it was a new route of entry and, and it was kinda different, so it took me a while to, uh, took me a while to, uh, find my way around once again.  And 'course, the body shop had completely changed from the, from the 60s.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[3:15] The first time that you hired in, were you on the day shift or night shift then?

Bill Almy:	I was also – I was on afternoons.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[3:21] And are you married?  Do you have children?

Bill Almy:	Yes.  I've been married for 33 years, and I have three children.  Ages, uh, 31, uh, my oldest son.  My daughter is, uh, 28, and my youngest son is, uh, 26.  And I have two grandchildren as well.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[3:40] What was it like working on second shift with [throat clearing] young children at home?

Bill Almy:	That's probably one of the most difficult parts is because you had to leave home in, in the active part of the day when the kids are up and around and, and, uh, and it, it was a tough part.  Plus, in the summer, it was good weather as well when you left, so it was kinda tough.  I, I didn't like afternoons anyway, so it made it rough.

Doreen Howard:	[4:11] Y-, you worked in the body shop area, you said, when you came in here?  What did you do in the body shop and describe, um, [coughing] a little bit of the environment of the body shop?

Bill Almy:	Well, I, I hired in as a, a fixture repairman.  And, uh, my job was to maintain the tools and equipment and to keep it running and answer service calls.  And, uh, prevent-, I do preventative maintenance as well, so – and that primarily was the body shop.  That's where I spent most of my time, so the underbody tools, the door tools, roof tools, uh, wheelhouse fixtures, every, every, pretty much all the tools that were in that area, so it was, uh, a lot of times it was mainly carrying a radio and answering calls.

Marilyn Coulter:	[5:05] So, Bill, now, what is it – when you first came in and you were a tool person, um, were you readily accepted when you came in by the other toolmakers and you came in from off the street with your journeyman's card?

Bill Almy:	Yeah, for the most part.  It, it was, it was a good team and, uh, everybody got along quite well.  We had a lotta new hires in the 80s because the plant had been – was goin' through, I think it was the, uh, [GM X20 5:32] car.  I believe that's which one it was.  So the plant had been cleaned out and they were puttin' new tools in, so I came in and, uh, and worked on the pilot team with new tools, so that was quite interesting.  So for the most part, there was a lotta new hires, a lotta new production and skilled trades in the plant.  And we got along pretty well 'cause we're all in the same, same situation, we – it was new to us.  

Marilyn Coulter:	Okay.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[5:57] The first time you hired in, [throat clearing] it was Fisher Body.  Second time when you hired in, was it Fisher Body then?  Or...  

Bill Almy:	I think that was the BOC transition in the 80s.  I believe that was the next move.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[6:10] How did you feel about that?

Bill Almy:	It was still Fisher Body to me.  I – it didn't – to this day, you know, it hasn't changed much.  The signs change, but the people – we all seem to relate to one plant.

Marilyn Coulter:	[6:25] You – Bill, you have, um, we have what's called a nontraditional job, which are jobs that are different from regular operations inside the plant.  Now, have you and do you have those types of jobs?

Bill Almy:	Yeah, I was quite fortunate when I came to this plant because I noticed they've had things like bulletin boards that had a lotta neat information and union activities and, and, and, uh, opportunities such as job postings available and nontraditional.  And I spotted one, oh, about 1985 or '86.  They were looking for a, uh, technical trainer.  So I signed that posting and was interviewed.  And it wasn't actually the job that I wanted, but it got my foot in the door because I found out that they're also looking for, uh, health and safety instructors.  So – then a year and a half later, so I got on as a safety trainer and – which, which was quite new as a nontraditional-type job.  So...

Cheryl McQuaid:	[7:26] And what kind of safety training did you do?

Bill Almy:	Every, everything that was in the course catalog.  There was 40-some classes and our staff, uh, facilitated every one of those.  Some of us had more classes than the others, but for the most part, we taught everything that was required in health and safety.  

Marilyn Coulter:	[7:49] So what types of – can you describe a couple of those classes for us?  What they might be like?

Bill Almy:	Well, the most popular one probably at once was the Safety Lockout Training and Confined Space Entry Training.  Uh, Hazard Communication was a big one because that was dictated by the federal government and they'd push.  Uh, hazard materials classes, uh, industrial truck licensing, flatbed scooter, arial lift.

Marilyn Coulter:	[8:18] So when you say safety lockout, what is that?  

Bill Almy:	Safety lockout, that is, uh, the process of de-energizing a tool, a piece of equipment to a point where it's safe to enter that tool and work, work.  You physically, you physically shut down the energy sources so you can work on it without being injured.

Marilyn Coulter:	[8:39] Okay.  And now, when did, when exactly did you say you started as a trainer?

Bill Almy:	Uh, I, I was on and off several times over about a three-year period, so I think I went on for a short period, uh, in 1986.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Bill Almy:	And, and I got called back or laid off, whatever you wanna call it, brought back to my tools several times because of – there was kind of a tug a war between the department wanting me on the tools and the, the safety department wanting me to train, so that struggle went on for about a year and a half, and, and I'm guessin' about '87 or so or '88, I went on as full time as a trainer.  Probably about '87, 1987.  They quit yankin' me back and forth.

Doreen Howard:	[9:27] Was there any specialized training that you yourself had to receive before [throat clearing] you could become [throat clearing] a certified trainer?  Or, or were you going to the same classes?  I assume you had to go through some of the same classes that you actually ended up teaching?  [Inaudible 9:44].

Bill Almy:	Well, they put you through, they put you through some orientations, some, uh, pro trainer courses, um, a lot of vendor classes on stand-up skills and course development and, uh, uh, things like that.  And then you had to train, uh, be taught or, or train or work with a seasoned or a qualified trainer to, uh, understand the classes that you're gonna be teaching, so you had to study it, learn it, work with a trainer, and then they would give the, uh, give the blessing that you were far enough along to go on your own.  Okay, so that went on [pretty near 10:24] for every class that was in the, uh, course catalog that was required in – until you'd achieved a status of qualified.  Then they'd – and you're on your own, so that could take six months to a year to, to get that poin-, to that point.

Marilyn Coulter:	[10:42] So what other types of training have you done?

Bill Almy:	I did, uh, so I was on the health and safety staff [throat clearing] probably for 13, maybe 14 years.  And then I got a chance to, uh, uh, move to, uh, [team build 11:00] training.  So I did that for approximately a year and a half to two years.  And then that pretty much exhausted itself as the plant was shutting down.  And I got an opportunity to do some, uh, uh, needs analysis and, and then, uh, uh, a chance came to be a scheduler and be on the – part of the launch team for the Delta Township plant, so I moved in as a, as a – they offered – wanted to know if I wanted to be a body shop training scheduler, so that's what I'm doin' today.

Marilyn Coulter:	Good.

Doug Rademacher:	[11:35] Bill, you talked about hiring in back in the 60s or so when – in the paint department.  Can you share a little bit about your first hire [throat clearing] in?  Um, you say you came back and recognized opportunity on the union boards and, and things, so what did you – when you hired into the paint department, did you not see those opportunities then?  Or – describe what it was like to work in the paint department back in that – those decades.

Bill Almy:	Well, I think I was basically lookin' for a job back then.  I was outta high school and I'd had a few part-time jobs and jobs that didn't pay well and, and when I got a chance to come to General Motors, like most, most of the high school kids were doin', it was pretty easy to get in and it was a good job, so that was my first goal was to get in there, and I didn't really have any motivation to go to college at the time.  I'd tried college a couple times and didn't care for it.  And I didn't have a family, so about the only thing I needed was, was a paycheck, and, and, and that fulfilled it, so I didn't look at opportunities back then like I do now or even did in the 80s.  So I think they existed but, but I'm, I'm certain it wasn't as, as clear as it was in the 80s and 90s and now at this period, so...

Cheryl McQuaid:	[12:53] Do you remember the job you did in the paint department?

Bill Almy:	Yes.  I, I worked on the line where they put in these, uh, sealer plates for the, the water.  After they went through wet deck and, and was washed, they had to have a way for the water to get outta the floor pan, so they had these holes, and then my job was to – after they'd been, uh, cleaned, I had to, uh, put those plates in and seal around'm and drop'm in place.  There was a couple other parts to that job as well, but basically that was it.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[13:25] Do you have a favorite boss that you worked for?  Do any of'm stick out in your memory?

Bill Almy:	Oh, I've, I've had a lot of, uh, excellent supervisors over the years, so, uh, uh, no.  I wouldn't – I can't think of a favorite one.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[13:48] Do you have a, a least favorite?  [laughter]

Bill Almy:	[Inaudible 13:54].  [laughter] [Inaudible].

Cheryl McQuaid:	[13:56] Did, did you notice any difference in the management skills from when you first hired in to say now?

Bill Almy:	I, I think there was a big, a big change.  Uh, it seems like in the, in the 60s, it was a little more good ol' boys, uh, one-on-one-type friends and, and the same with enemies.  If the boss didn't care for ya, it was kinda adversarial.  And, and when I came back in the 80s, it seemed like it were more a team concept.  We worked together with production.  I, I, I worked with production and engineering and supervision, and it seemed like we were all on the same team, and you didn't notice adversarial and, and anything like that goin' on, any challenges, I mean, uh, uh, personality conflicts, I didn't see it quite as much.  So there was big, big changes in that period of time when I was away from the corporation.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[14:55] You live in Ionia now, have you always lived in Ionia?

Bill Almy:	Um, I lived in the area.  I went to school in Portland, so that's pretty close to Ionia.  

Cheryl McQuaid:	[15:02] Do you have any relatives here in this plant or used to be here?

Bill Almy:	I don't think so.  Not that I can recall.  I have relatives at the Oldsmobile plants, but not Fisher.

Mike Fleming:	[15:20] As a body shop, uh, trainer, no, excuse me, a scheduler for Delta Township [throat clearing], you schedule people for classes [inaudible 15:30], um, and whatever else that needs to be scheduled.  Um, you spoke about team build, I mean, a team build trainer, what is the difference between the team build concept and the new GMS concept that we are, are goin' through now and kinda explain some of that process?

Bill Almy:	Well, I think the, the team build concept that, that I was introduced to, uh, several years ago, I think it was thought through and, and organized and designed, but I, I don't think it was researched well enough to, to be a, a proven, a proven, uh, procedure or process.  I think they tended to throw it at us and say, said, uh, this is what the corporation believes will work, let's, let's do it.  And as, and as I taught the class, I, I could see more.  Uh, I could see that clearly certain parts was not going to work and then therefore, when you facilitate in front of an audience, y-, you know they're feeling it.  They're not stupid.  They can pick up on that, so I don't think there was real good buy-in, and I don't think it was researched well.

	Uh, GMS, I, I think this is the second go around.  I, I think it's a second attempt to make, make this, this, this partnership work and, and I think it had a little more time and effort put into it.  It, it – I went through GMS and it looks imperious that, that it's better organized and, and thought through a little better and, and it is a proven concept.  And I'm certain that 100 percent of that's not gonna work either, but, but it looks like it's a better, a better direction to go.

Doug Rademacher:	[17:18] Bill, you said that when you left in the 60s and then came back in the 80s you noticed a difference in the way management did business.  You said, uh, uh, in the 60s [throat clearing] it was more adversarial or good ol' boy, did you notice a change in the way union did business also?

Bill Almy:	Once again, I didn't, I didn't pay a lot attention to what was goin' on around me in the 60s, although I, I, I knew who my committee person was and who my supervisor was, but, uh, I, I guess I wasn't there with, with two years in the military and then two years actually working on the line, you know, maybe I didn't, I, I mean, I didn't tend to observe as well as I should've or pay attention, you know, so I didn't, I didn't notice it quite as much, uh, in the 60s as I did when I came back in the 80s.

Marilyn Coulter:	[18:13] Were you formally introduced to your committee representative or did, did you just know who they were?

Bill Almy:	No, they, they did introductions.  They came down.  You knew who the person was. 

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Bill Almy:	And, uh, I never – on very few occasions did I have a need for a committee call back in the 60s.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Bill Almy:	So...

Mike Fleming:	[18:33] Working in [inaudible 18:35], [Bill], um, you get health and safety background, you realize what, um, the plant makeup or environment should look like [throat clearing], when you came in in the 60s versus up until now in the year 2005, talk about the differences then as now and [throat clearing] [inaudible 18:55] [faceless] this, this particular [inaudible 18:58] through to get where it, where it is today?

Bill Almy:	I think probably health and safety kinda jumps – safety conditions kinda jump out compared to the – when you'd compare the 60s to the 80s.  And one thing that I, I didn't notice the first time I hired in that I did think about later on in life was the lack of safety procedures and precautions, things like guarding, proper guarding and, and, and, uh personal protective equipment.  Those things just kinda jump out at ya, but things that we didn't do back then, the way we wash solvent from our hands and, and, you know, and that probably helped, uh, start the Hazard Communication Program from OSHA was the, the damages that people did to themselves, so you, you could see paint mixers and, and people in paint repair washin' their hands in solvent, you know, that was the way they removed the, the paints and the, and the contaminants, you know, and it seemed like the thing to do.  But later on in life, we find out maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

	So I think how we used chemicals was, was a, was a huge change and, and mechanical protection and, and energy lockout.  People didn't carry safety locks.  They didn't – they threw a disconnect back in the 60s and, and that was good enough.  They flipped a light switch off and that was good enough, that was adequate, you know, so that was the probably the biggest thing that, that glared out at me and, and...

Marilyn Coulter:	[20:33] Um, Bill, as far as with union activities, were you very active in your union at all?

Bill Almy:	I was on the, uh, uh, education committee for two terms.  Um, uh, participated in, uh, uh, union awareness activities.  Worker-to-worker things.  Uh, union picnics, things like that.

Marilyn Coulter:	[21:05] And can you state what worker-to-worker is?  Is that when – people may not know what worker-to-worker means.

Bill Almy:	I'm not certain I know what it means, tell you the truth.  It, it seemed to get dropped upon us and, and had great aspirations but it didn't seem to go anywhere, so, uh, I'm not sure where it's at today.  I'm not sure where it's headed, but it, uh, it appeared to be a method of communication, uh, between union and workers and, and it never really got off the ground too well.
 
Marilyn Coulter:	'Kay.  

Cheryl McQuaid:	[21:36] Did you ever, uh, participate in departmental dinners or parties?  

Bill Almy:	Mm-hm.  Retirement-type dinners and holiday, uh, uh, special occasion-type dinners.  Fund raisers, yes.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[21:53] Were the, um, retirement dinners really like pot luck or did you order out?

Bill Almy:	Uh, sometimes both.  Most of the time, we just kicked in money and, and ordered out.  

Cheryl McQuaid:	[22:06] Do you remember any of – or were any pranks or new-hire initiations [throat clearing] pulled on you or did you pull any on anybody else?

Bill Almy:	I don't know if they were new-hire pranks.  I remember guys got a little carried away with the, uh, uh, pressurized water extinguishers.  That seemed to be a big hit.  Takin' those off the wall and sprayin' people.  Sometimes they would, uh, haul guys around in them red – them orange gondolas [laughter] and, and with a shop truck, and there'd be somebody inside with one of them canisters sprayin' people.  That was quite popular [laughter].

Linda Johnson:	Oh, I missed it. 

Bill Almy:	That, that's...   

Cheryl McQuaid:	I did too.  [laughter]

Bill Almy:	...those things happened on after [coughing] [inaudible 22:50].  [laughter] But I know then security would run around and try to find out who emptied the canister and...  [laughter].  So security was always lookin' for us.  [laughter]

Doreen Howard:	That's funny.  

Cheryl McQuaid:	[23:02] What do you think is your most appreciated bargain benefit?

Bill Almy:	Bargained?  Bargain benefit?  I, I would have to say the, uh, tuition assistance.  I, I – that's probably the...you know, I, I know it's not, but to me it, it jumps out at me 'cause it's, it was an opportunity that people should take advantage of and a lotta people don't.  You know, and, and medical benefits, certainly, is a, is huge.  You know, the pension plan is huge, a huge benefit.

Doreen Howard:	I...

Bill Almy:	You know, I think we tend to take, take for granted those things where the educational benefits, I had to reach out and grab it and, and take advantage of.  The other ones just were kinda automatic, so...

Doreen Howard:	[23:50] I, I see on your, um, data sheet there that you had a degree from Northwood?

Bill Almy:	Mm-hm.

Doreen Howard:	Um, did you use the, um, tuition assistance program to help fund your education there?  Or was that somethin' that you did prior to coming into General Motors?

Bill Almy:	No, that, that's, that's why I, I mentioned it, uh, it's probably – was real important to me because it was an opportunity I took advantage of.  It was about the time my kids were thinkin' about college.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Bill Almy:	And I thought, well, maybe I should go back to school and f-, so, yeah, I used the tuition assistance for my degree.

Marilyn Coulter:	[24:31] So what, what do you have a degree?  

Bill Almy:	In, uh, Business Administration from Northwood.  

Marilyn Coulter:	Good.

Doug Rademacher:	[24:40] Has, has a coworker impacted your, your personal life or your family, family life?

Bill Almy:	Oh, I think many coworkers have done that.  I think that – I can't site an individual one if that's what you're lookin' for, but, but, uh, I think, uh, throughout my time here, uh, there's been several people that have done things or, or, uh, uh, give examples or, or just plain coached a little bit on what to do and how to do it and, and certain things.  I think we got such a array of talent and individuals in our organization that can't help but learn something or be motivated by an individual.  I, I, you know, to site one specifically, I probably can't but...

Doreen Howard:	[25:30] Do you have any special talents or hobbies or anything that, that you shared with anyone?

Bill Almy:	Well, I've, I've always enjoyed hunting, so, so we constantly talked that among, you know, fellow trades and other people that – hunting experiences and, and that's always good for, uh, quite a long conversation and, and it's, uh, comes back every year to repeat itself, you know, so you can bring it up every year.  I've, I've, uh, always belonged to a health club or the YMCA, so I'm always running into people that, that like to do YMCA club activities, so we're always sharin' those experiences and, and, uh, runnin' into people at the clubs, health clubs.

Doug Rademacher:	[26:21] You were, uh, in the training arena, do you view the line worker as your brother and sister?

Bill Almy:	Absolutely.  Um, [throat clearing] we count on them to, uh, pretty much – at least as a repair person or as a toolmaker, uh, to help us figure out what's wrong with the equipment and even in some cases, how to fix it, you know, they, they, uh, they look at the equipment all day long, they know it better than anybody and they're an excellent resource, so lotta times when we respond to a call, the person runnin' that piece of equipment's got a good idea of what's wrong with it.  It makes our job real easy, you know.  I, I think that was a major asset to General Motors and, and leadership took, uh, took advantage of, probably in this, in the '83, '84, uh, the model change they did that time, they incorporated the assistance of production and, and actually listened to'm.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm.

Bill Almy:	That was a big thing that I noticed.

Doreen Howard:	Did...

Doug Rademacher:	[27:28] Bill, they're talkin' about tearing this place down, the Fisher Body building itself.  What's your best memory of the Fisher Body plant?

Bill Almy:	Hm.  I, I would think – I, I guess I think back in the 60s, uh, uh, getting hired in, uh, it seemed like we were all in about the same age group, so it – and I knew a lotta people back then and class mates that worked at the plant.  And we rode together and we carpooled, and, and, uh, I, I think it was just the people that you knew in the plant.  It was quite a friendly environment.  And in the 80s, I kinda came in here as a, as a lone soldier.  I didn't know anyone when I came in and I hired in her.  Uh, I had to kinda make new friends and, and I'd run into a few people that I knew, but for the most part, uh, I, I didn't know anyone when I got here, so...uh, I guess the fondest memories would be fellow workers and, and working together with them.

Mike Fleming:	[28:37] In, in the training arena, Bill, you, you trained people throughout this area, not just the Fisher Body plant.  Talk about some of the diversity in the people that you trained and the regions that they'd come from, inner city and whatever h-, h-, what did you see there?

Bill Almy:	I think probably the biggest thing I noticed was, uh, people that had moved from other plants, locations.  Lansing, the Lansing team, uh, seemed to be – and it didn't matter what local it was in Lansing, they seemed to be, uh, uh, quite receptive to training and, and, and, uh, you got to know'm after a couple years 'cause they were in and outta class a lot, and they knew me and they probably could remember my name before I could remember theirs.  But lotta times from the other plants, a person, uh, might've had to, uh, transfer to their job, so they transferred to Lansing.  Lotta times they came in with, uh, they weren't happy about moving.  They wanted to stay where their, their home plant that they'd hired into so they had a bit of an attitude that, uh, they had to adjust to, and, and we had to kinda help them get through that.  

	So you had to kinda sell this training package, this why do we need safety training, you know?  You know, don't shoot the messenger but this is a good thing.  There, there's a reason we're giving this training.  So, uh, it, it seemed like the, the Lansing group was quite easy to work with, you know, the Lansing teams, the Lansing locals and even the leadership and everyone.  It seemed like it was quite easy to work with.  And I, I wasn't sure about some of the transfers that came in, you know.  But, I mean, uh, there's good people everywhere but I just got the feeling that they weren't happy comin' in.  And I think it was just the fact that they were more or less forced to move.

Doreen Howard:	[30:38] As this facility is winding down and you look out there and take a look around and they're disassembling the [throat clearing], the plant, um, gimme your feelings on, on, you know, you know, what, I guess, what do you feel about that?  How, you know, is that, um, a good thing as far as you, you know, you know that you're gonna be going to someplace else or is it, um, sad or, you know, what – I guess, what feelings are you, um...

Bill Almy:	I guess...

Doreen Howard:	...getting from this?

Bill Almy:	...I guess you'd have say it's kind of a bittersweet experience because, uh, there's some side effects and, and some change that, that's not pretty or not comfortable and, and leavin' this plant that, that, that's, uh, provided a job for so many thousands of people for so many years has been a very good thing and, and we're fortunate to get a new plant, so that, that's the upside of it, I guess.  So there, there's good and bad with the whole thing and we – and, and, uh, with growth, you know, there comes change and, and we have to continue to do that and, and especially in this technology it's, uh, it's a highly competitive market.  We've got to, we've gotta stay up with technology and learn to grow in this, uh, I'm, I'm gonna miss this plant, you know, but, but its, its time has come, I guess.

Doug Rademacher:	[32:18] Bill, in the training arena, what's your thought on – how do you see the interaction between, uh, yourself and the training arena plus women and minorities?  Is there a, a fair amount, equal amount?  Has it grown over the 20 years you've been active in this now?

Bill Almy:	Um, [throat clearing] I would say, I'd, I'd have to say in, in training that, uh, it, it's probably not a fair amount.  And, and for years I've often wondered, uh, why there wasn't more, uh, women on the training staffs.  Uh, I, for years, for the 13, 14 years I worked in Health and Safety training, I, I recall three, uh, female instructors.  And, and I think currently, they're down to two, so I, I don't know if, if it's not a desirable profession or, or I don't know the specifics and – of that why, but it always seemed like there should be a better balance than that in that area.  Uh...

Doug Rademacher:	[33:39] Did you ever go on strike?

Bill Almy:	Yes.  I can't remember the year it was.  It was, it was in the 80s, I believe.  And, uh, [inaudible 33:43] a short strike.  Seemed like it was four days or five days, somethin' like that, so...it didn't last long.  I had been on strike years ago at my previous plant, so it wasn't nothing new to me.  It was, was, you know, it's kinda scary but – so, I'd been on the picket line before, so...wasn't a totally new experience.

Marilyn Coulter:	[34:10] [Inaudible] What plant did you work at before you came to General Motors?

Bill Almy:	I worked at General Tire in Ionia.  I worked 11 years there.  

Marilyn Coulter:	Oh.  And so you worked at a tire company and then you came into an auto...

Bill Almy:	Mm-hm.

Marilyn Coulter:	[34:21] Now, were you a, a skilled trades person there also?  Or...

Bill Almy:	Yeah.  I hired in there, uh, in the 70s in, on production.

Marilyn Coulter:	Oh.

Bill Almy:	And was on production, inspection, and then got into an apprenticeship program.  That's how I got my toolmaker card, journeyman's card.  They, they actually produce fiberglass parts.  They didn't produce tires.  

Marilyn Coulter:	[34:44] Do you find – did you find that many people, once you came to this plant, that they used the apprenticeship program here?

Bill Almy:	Oh yeah.  This – I, I was pretty impressed.  Actually, I was the f-, I was the f-, uh, one of the first apprentices at General Tire, so that was a new program there.  But when I came to Lansing, I found out they'd had apprenticeship programs.  When I came to GM and UAW shops, I found out they'd had apprenticeship programs for years and years and years.

Marilyn Coulter:	Mm-hm.

Bill Almy:	And, uh, I was pretty impressed with it.  And as a health and safety instructor, I was responsible for, uh, delivering, uh, they had 10 different modules for apprentice training, so I had to – I, I was the apprentice health and safety instructor.  I got the luxury of doin' all those.  I'm not sure why, maybe it's 'cause I could relate to, relate to the guys that yes, I was an apprentice once, so be patient and you'll graduate.

Marilyn Coulter:	[laughter] Yeah.  Um...

Doug Rademacher:	[35:43] You view, uh, coworkers as brothers and sisters.  I was curious, have you developed friendships with any of your coworkers that now has extended outside of the plant that you spend time with or do functions with?

Bill Almy:	I think so.  There's quite a few of us that, that attend picnics and travel, uh, to trade shows and, and Black Lake, and we seem to stick together pretty good.  And, uh, uh, uh, for the most part, yeah.  There's several of us that, uh, go to each other's house once in a while for an occasion or whatever, yeah.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[36:25] Well, Bill, I really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you today.  Is there anything that we didn't ask that you'd like to add?

Bill Almy:	I can't think of anything?

Marilyn Coulter:	[36:38] For those people who may have nine, ten years of seniority, what words of wisdom would you like to leave with them?

Bill Almy:	Uh, just, you know, I'd, I would recommend that they come to work when they're supposed to and, uh, because it's a, it's an opportunity to, to work for this corporation and be represented by, uh, this union because, uh, uh, it, it's gonna be hard to replace that once they're gone, you know.  I came from a shop that, that was organized, but it was a constant struggle to, to maintain what we had in our local agreement.  And, uh, so I, I know what it's like at one of those plants.  And I come here an it's – there's a lotta opportunity here and, uh, and we're well represented, so I would say come to work, keep your job.

Cheryl McQuaid:	[37:29] Bill, do you remember one of the worst jobs that you've had here in the plant.

Bill Almy:	I'd have to say the one that flashes back to me was in the 80s when I worked, or excuse me, in the 60s, '68 through '72 when I worked in paint department.  When I came back from the service, I, I got a utility job and quite often I'd have to go upstairs to spray the deadener in, in the rear of the wagons.  And, uh, I was at the right about the, the – just the right heighth where my head would just about hit looking inside the wheel well.  And, and I remember the gentleman that taught me how to spray made it look very easy, so I thought this's a piece of work.  It's pretty – piece of cake, it's easy.  And the first couple times I did it, he said, "Well, you did a pretty good job there, but now..."  He took me outside and said, ..."now, look at the side of the car," where I had not quite got all the deadener inside the wheel well and part of it – the fan came out and sprayed the side of the car.  So now, a repair person had to wash the car.  So it was quite an art to do that.  

	And, and then if you looked at the environment, it was always hot up there, and it seemed like there was always a fan blowin' in the wrong direction, so even though you thought you were clean, when you looked in the mirror after about four hours, you, you had black speckles all over ya, and, and it was hard to get off.  So between the heat and the, and the difficulty of the job, and the, and your shoes would get all gummed up, that would have to be probably my worst job that I remember.

Marilyn Coulter:	[39:05] And so outside of your training job, what was one of your better jobs?

Bill Almy:	Well, I always liked, um, I always liked hangin' paper on the cars.  It, it seemed like that was a – once you learned that art, it was a pretty nice job.  And we didn't have to do every job, you know.  I had to put masking paper on the back windows of certain models and run a couple screws, so that was a pretty easy job.  But then it'd depend on what production was doin' with – quite often, it'd go the other way and you'd get a lot of bad jobs right in a row, so the good ones didn't last that long.  Probably the, the next best job was, was getting' on skilled trades when I could – if I wasn't workin', I could do what I wanted, basically relax, or sit in a chair, read the paper, so that ended up probably bein' the best job.

Marilyn Coulter:	[39:54] So can you, um, during your course and your time as a trainer, has there been ever a time when teaching was real rewarding for you or one maybe stood out?

Bill Almy:	Well, I, I can – it seems like always when, when I got to a point where I was s-, wondering if, if my quality of my instruction or facilitating was, was headin' downhill or if I'd lost track, every now and then I would get, uh, an evaluation from a student that would, uh, be really open and honest and, and, and tell me what a good job I did, so kinda fired me up.  So I thought, "Well, maybe I'm still on track.  Maybe I'm doin' okay."  So the course evaluations, I always looked at'm and, and for the most part, I, I, I tried to follow what they – tried to make improvements accordingly.

Doug Rademacher:	[40:42] So there were a lot of dummies but somebody finally got it right and recognized your ability, right?  [laughter]

Bill Almy:	[laughter] Yeah.

Marilyn Coulter:	[laughter] All right.  

Cheryl McQuaid:	Thank you, Bill.

Marilyn Coulter:	Thank you, Bill.

Cheryl McQuaid:	Thank you.

Marilyn Coulter:	Thank you.

Doreen Howard:	Thank you.  

Doug Rademacher:	Thank you.

Mike Fleming:	Thanks, Bill.


/tl