MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY – SHAWN NICHOLSON TIMOTHY L. BERRY DISCUSSES HIS CAREER AS A UAW PRODUCTION WORKER AND SANITATION BOOTH CLEANER AT THE FISHER BODY PLANT IN LANSING, MI Cheryl McQuaid: This is Cheryl McQuaid. I'm with the Lansing Fisher Body Historical Team. [papers rustling] Today is November 7, 2005. It's approximately 10:15 a.m. [papers rustling] We're with Tim Berry and, um, getting ready to interview him and we'd like to go around and let everybody in the room present [background noises] state their name. Michael Flemming: Mike Flemming. Marilyn Coulter: Marilyn Coulter. Doreen Howard: Doreen Howard. Linda Johnson: Linda Johnson. Doug Rademacher: Doug Rademacher. John Fedewa: John Fedewa. Cheryl McQuaid: And Tim Berry. [0:35] Could you state [clapping] your name and spell your last name and your address for the record? Timothy Berry: Tim Berry. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:42] B-E-R-R-Y? Male: Yeah. Timothy Berry: Um, address is 4075 Holt Road. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:49] And is that Holt, Michigan? Timothy Berry: Yep. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:51] Tim, do you remember – eh, first, uh, are you married? Timothy Berry: [laughter] No. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:56] Uh, have any children? Timothy Berry: Yes. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:59] Uh, boys, girls? Timothy Berry: One a each. Cheryl McQuaid: One girl and one boy. [1:03] And were you in the service? Timothy Berry: No. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:06] Um, what is your educational background? Timothy Berry: Twelfth grade. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:10] Twelfth grade? Timothy Berry: Everett, Everett, Lansing, Everett. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:14] Do you remember – could you tell us what [throat clearing] day you hired in at Fisher [tapping] Body and if you remember that very first day walking into this plant? Timothy Berry: Yeah. I hired in 9/2/76 and, uh, I remember getting hired in and, uh, it was a little scary. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:29] Was it? Timothy Berry: Yes. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:31] What was scary about it? Timothy Berry: Uh, well I was only 18, so I didn’t know anything about the shop or I didn’t know much about shopwork and actually I was like the youngest one here and, uh, [nothing but a 1:44] kid. I was a kid and, uh, so it was a little scary seeing everybody working in all the big shop and everything. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:54] What, um, what job were you hired in on? Timothy Berry: End up doing, uh, front door regulators. Cheryl McQuaid: [2:01] What is a regulator? Timothy Berry: A regulator is, uh, what makes – it's the, the, um, door window track, what makes the window go up and down. Cheryl McQuaid: Oh. [2:13] Could you explain a little bit about that job while you were learning it? Timothy Berry: Uh, uh, yeah, I guess so, uh… [laughter] Cheryl McQuaid: I think somebody mentioned once about regulators, that they [tapping] had to put their arms in the door and… Timothy Berry: Yep. [throat clearing] Cheryl McQuaid: [2:28] What kind of safety equipment? Timothy Berry: Oh, it was greasy and, [static-like background noises throughout audio] uh, so you just had like, uh, gloves and had a arm sleeve and back then [tapping] the regulators [tapping] were more like metal and they like, uh, - and, um, some of'm were electrical and some of'm was manual [tapping] [inaudible 2:48] and we rivet’m on [tapping] with rivets. Cheryl McQuaid: [2:53] Pop rivets? Timothy Berry: Yeah. And, and it had a, a metal, um – I don’t know. But we used – had a couple screws in it too but mostly it was metal. Cheryl McQuaid: [3:09] And did you… Timothy Berry: Rivet [it in] [inaudible 3:10]. Cheryl McQuaid: [3:11] How long did you do that job? Timothy Berry: Uh, jeez, uh, probably 2 or 3 years. Cheryl McQuaid: [3:20] Really? Timothy Berry: Mm-hm. Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Flemming? Michael Flemming: Um, Tim, y-, y-, you, you came in on regulators. [3:26] H-, how long did it take you to get the job where you knew how to do it and your partner? [3:32] Did you have a partner that you worked with? [3:34] Did they h-, happen to help you do any of those [inaudible 3:36]? Timothy Berry: Um, eh, it took me about 3 days to break in and actually I had a, um – there was 4 of us putting in regulators and, uh, one – they ran a lotta 4 doors back then, so had, uh, back doors, 2 on back doors and 2 on front doors but I did, uh, [clicking] all the front doors driver’s side back then was what I did. Michael Flemming: [4:03] Did they – your, your opposites, d-, did they help you at all [inaudible 4:06]? Timothy Berry: Uh, no. They normally had their – they had their own work. Yeah. They did the back doors and the front doors and… Cheryl McQuaid: Doug Rademacher? Doug Rademacher: [4:15] Tim, would you tell me about how you heard about Fisher Body, uh, what it was like, how you managed to get employed? And, uh, let's start with that. Timothy Berry: Well actually I got a twin brother [background noises] and, uh, my dad was self-employed and I knew my mom didn’t like it and, uh, so – and I wasn’t very good at school, so – and there was a lotta shops around here at the time, so I, uh, [clanking] put like a – my application in at Oldsmobile and, uh, [tsk] I put on a suit, believe it or not, when I was a senior in high school. My dad goes where you going? I said I'm going down to Oldsmobile to put my application in. And, uh, he said, Tom, you go with’m. That’s my twin brother. And they hired my brother, so. [laughter] But, uh, a couple weeks, a couple weeks later, I put in here and I got hired in here. So it was pretty funny, I thought anyhow. Cheryl McQuaid: Doreen Howard? Doreen Howard: [5:15] What department did you come in on and what shift did you hire into? Timothy Berry: Hired in in Trim and it's, um – I [don’t 5:23] remember the department [coughing] but, uh, I hired in on days. Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn Coulter? Marilyn Coulter: [5:31] Tim, do you remember how you got chosen for the regulator job? [5:35] Was there a process? [5:36] Did the supervisor come get you? [5:38] How – can you tell us how they got you on that job? Timothy Berry: Yeah. We, uh, just all when we hired in, a couple supervisors came in and they said I'll take him and him and her and there and, and they just put me there. It was… Cheryl McQuaid: Doug R-… Timothy Berry: …an open job. Cheryl McQuaid: Doug Rademacher? [throat clearing] Doug Rademacher: Tim, you said, uh, you were the youngest in here. [6:00] Did you hire in with a buncha young people? [6:02] Was there any camaraderie with the group that you hired in with and [pen clicking] how many people did you come in with? [pen clicking] Timothy Berry: Uh, [tapping] um, no. I think I was pretty – I was about the youngest, right outta high school and, uh, but there was about, um, betw-, close to 10 of us in that room when we first hired in if I remember… Doug Rademacher: [6:25] Did… Timothy Berry: …right. Doug Rademacher: [6:26] Did you guys stay close? [6:27] Did you recog-, s-, you know, since you came in together, did you build a, a quick bond and kinda ever be able to… Timothy Berry: Uh… Doug Rademacher: …see each other and remember that that was the day that you… Timothy Berry: I r-… Doug Rademacher: …came in here? [thumping] Timothy Berry: Actually, I remember, uh, actually only 1 guy, [throat clearing] 1 guy and he’s, uh, been Paint Committeeman and I don’t even remember his name but – so we just nods our heads at each other when we see each other. That's about it. [clicking] Cheryl McQuaid: [6:53] When you hired in, um, [clicking] were there any jokes pulled on you being a new hire [throat clearing] and later on, did you pull any jokes on new hires that came in to the plant? Timothy Berry: I don’t remember any but [laughter] [inaudible 7:07], you know. No. Cheryl McQuaid: [7:09] No? Timothy Berry: Not that I know of. [clanking] No. I don’t remember. Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Flemming? Michael Flemming: [7:13] Were you involved in any layoffs or [background noises] strikes that they had here? Timothy Berry: Uh, if I remember right, in ’76, they – we walked out, um, but we came back the next day and then, uh, I think 2 or 3 years later, we walked out for a day or two and – but no, not really. Michael Flemming: [7:36] So where’d you go after [throat clearing] you left the, uh – talk, talk to us – to me about where you l-, when you left Trim, what types of jobs did you go in the areas [inaudible 7:45]? Timothy Berry: I, uh, pretty much stayed in Trim for 24 years and I end up, uh, moving to door glass, door rubbers. I end up being Utility, uh, most of the time I've been here and then after when I got 24-1/2 years in, I, uh, got into Sanitation and end up doing – being a booth cleaner [background noises] and, uh, and now I'm s-, still in Sanitation. [tapping] I'm not booth cleaner right now but. Michael Flemming: [8:15] What's a booth cleaner? Timothy Berry: Uh, we clean, uh, paint booths and, uh, [clanking] uh, tanks, um, just getting all the junk outta there, cleaning it up. [throat clearing] [Inaudible 8:29]. Cheryl McQuaid: [8:29] So you’ve had, uh, confined space training then? Timothy Berry: Correct. Yeah. Yep. Cheryl McQuaid: [8:36] What other kind of training have you had with GM? Timothy Berry: Hm, [tsk] [laughter] uh, I don’t know. It's just like lockout, uh, normal stuff. Uh, [pause] just coordinator training a little bit. I was, I was a coordinator for a little bit. Um, boy, I don’t know. Cheryl McQuaid: Doreen… Timothy Berry: [Inaudible 9:05]. Cheryl McQuaid: …Howard? Doreen Howard: Uh, going back to the Trim Department, you said you had worked there 24 years [throat clearing] and had done various jobs. [9:13] Um, can you explain some of the other jobs that you did? You talked about the door and the door rubbers and things like that. [9:18] Could you explain what some of those jobs were and what they entailed? Timothy Berry: Hm, I, I was Utility mainly and, uh, what Utility is is, uh, when you show up, if there’s, uh, people absence and then you take their place. And, uh, [throat clearing] um, can throw you anywhere and that – and I, I liked that because, uh, once you got used to doing a job, it was s-, pretty easy, I mean, and so it took out the boredom. Um, and a lotta jobs, we're pretty much, uh, you know – and it kept you busy and, uh, um, but doing every – a different one every day was sorta fun, you know, because you weren't so bored. Um, uh, at one time, I thought I knew almost all the jobs in Trim, you know, because I got shipped out a lot and I was pretty lucky. Um, I had – I didn’t have a hard time picking’m up, [throat clearing] you know, learning’m. [tapping] So they're just, uh – no. Nothing really sticks out. I think, uh, door glass was a fun job to do. It was [sorta 10:31] fun. [tapping] Uh, I never did do very good in, uh, um, [pause]… Male: [Inaudible 10:40]. Timothy Berry: …hood. The… Cheryl McQuaid: [10:43] Vinyl top? Timothy Berry: Vinyl tops. Thank you. I didn’t – don’t have a steady enough hand for that [background conversation] but… Marilyn Coulter: Uh… Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn Coulter? Marilyn Coulter: [10:49] Tim, what made door glass [background conversation] a good job for you? Timothy Berry: Uh, because there was like a, um, 6 of us doing it, 3 on each side and it was just more fun. I mean I was fairly young and, and that’s, uh, and I end up doing that like, uh, ’78, ’79 and, uh, some people more my age or a couple years younger than me, younger than me came in and we had s-, we had a lotta fun [inaudible 11:12]. Marilyn Coulter: [11:12] So what are some of the things you did for fun? Timothy Berry: Uh, we just, uh, [inaudible 11:16], you know, [laughter] uh… Doug Rademacher: Do tell? Timothy Berry: [laughter] Just, you know, uh, [throat clearing] it's just we were in our early 20s and I mean we just drank and we dranked a lot and just had a good time, joked around a lot. Cheryl McQuaid: [11:32] So basically it was the camaraderie? Timothy Berry: Yes. Yeah. Cheryl McQuaid: [11:35] Just being able to talk to your peers and… Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Cheryl McQuaid: …while doing the job? Timothy Berry: Yeah. Marilyn Coulter: [11:39] Did you play jokes on each other? Timothy Berry: Oh, I, um, I [inaudible 11:44] – I imagine we did but, you know, nothing really sticks out, you know. Uh, just, um – no, not really. Not that I can think of anyhow. Cheryl McQuaid: Doreen Howard? Doreen Howard: [11:58] Can you talk about the changes that you saw that happened in the Trim Department from the time when you came in to when you left that department? Over 24 years, um, there should have been a lot of changes. [12:12] Can you tell us some of them that you remember? Timothy Berry: Yeah. Eh, well yeah. Um, like the regulators [thumping] end up being pretty much, uh, plastic instead of a metal. A lotta cars were different. You know, um, when I hired in, we were putting like Toronados and 98s and, uh, and 98s and n-, we end up going to Grand Ams and smaller car. Um, uh, a lot of, uh, the rules change, like, you know, drinking got h-, you know, I mean [throat clearing] didn’t allow it as much. It was – you know, and, uh, harder to get away with or whatever and it just, uh – yeah. It's, uh, I guess with me maturing, it – the plant matured I think, you know, it seemed like, you know. Doreen Howard: That’s good. Timothy Berry: And, uh, it was all right. Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Flemming? Michael Flemming: [13:14] [Yeah 13:14], talk about some of the safety, uh, health and safety changes that you noticed, uh, not only in Trim but being a booth cleaner. Uh, there had to be some changes that went along with that from the time you started until u-, up until now [inaudible 13:33]. Timothy Berry: Yeah. I was a booth cleaner for about 3-1/2 years and, uh, pretty much it was at the end of, uh, this plant closing and so, uh, not really much changing really went on. Uh, I worked with a bunch a older guys and so like they just pretty much watch [at 13:53] – [tapping] watched over me, you know. They, um, they – most of them guys were big and heavy so they couldn't get down there but they made sure, uh, [laughter] um, [laughter] that the air was clean and all that [coughing] [inaudible 14:07] stuff was, uh, taken care of and they made me feel a little comfortable that it'll be all right. Michael Flemming: [14:12] Any, any special equipment you used when you [inaudible 14:14]? Timothy Berry: Air check, um, and they had air blowers, you know, for like the pits and, uh, tanks and, uh, they all knew what they were doing and they were just sorta teaching me how to do it and made sure that, uh, I was safe and everything most of the time [inaudible 14:31]. Cheryl McQuaid: Doreen Howard? Doreen Howard: [14:33] Can you describe the environment of the [papers rustling] booth and [throat clearing] the pits and the things that you, that you worked in? Timothy Berry: Uh, well, [laughter] uh, the paint, um, booths were – it's like a river runs through there and the paint, what misses falls down, falls down on the grates and, and into the river and, and, uh, but most of the time during the week, we just mowed the grates, which, which, which is like a lawnmower but only it shoots out water and, uh, you put down this chemical, what we call it acid and, uh, it really wasn’t acid but it's what we called it. It was like a soap and, and we'd mow it and then we, uh – the walls, we'd, uh, PSI it. Um, the tanks, we'd drain’m [throat clearing] and then, uh, break it up with a firehose and then air check it and it got, it got, um, clear and then we'd go down there once the, uh, [background conversation] air was clear and just like, um, shovel it and water hose it down the hole, you know, down the drain and, uh, and then it goes into a Hoffman and then, uh, eventually we clean the Hoffman too and so… Cheryl McQuaid: [15:50] What is PSI? Timothy Berry: Uh, 1,000 PSI is, uh, water pressure. Cheryl McQuaid: Oh, okay. [15:55] And what is a Hoffman? Timothy Berry: A Hoffman is where all the, um, [tsk] paint goes down to, you know, like, uh, like paint in the paint booths, it starts there, it misses and then we clean them out and then it goes – and we put it down there – the tank and shovel’m out, put'm [inaudible 16:17] and the rest goes down into this, uh, uh, drain and that goes down to the Hoffman where, uh… Cheryl McQuaid: [16:24] Is the Hoffman like another holding tank? Timothy Berry: Right. Cheryl McQuaid: Oh, okay. Timothy Berry: Yeah. Like a holding tank. Cheryl McQuaid: Doreen Howard? Doreen Howard: [16:31] How, how large is this booth and how many people do you think work inside of this particular booth? [thumping] Timothy Berry: Well they got 4 different booths on each line, so it was, uh, um – [clanking] good question. Uh, there’s – most of the time there was like, um, 4 or 5 people paining in there and, um – but it was different in different – you got repair tank, got primer tank, you got clearcoat tank and you got main color tank. And, and then we had 2 lines, so. Doreen Howard: [17:04] So each type of painting applied to the vehicle had its own separate booth or…? Timothy Berry: Right. Doreen Howard: Okay. [17:11] And then the person in there would be standing on top of a grate system… Timothy Berry: Yeah. Doreen Howard: …that had water underneath of it, correct? Timothy Berry: Correct. Doreen Howard: [17:18] And then the – whatever paint was not applied to the vehicle went into the water? Timothy Berry: Uh, right. Um… Doreen Howard: [17:27] And then it was somehow separated and you went in to clean the excess paint out? Timothy Berry: Right. Doreen Howard: Okay. Timothy Berry: That’s – mainly on the weekends that’s what we did. Uh, correct. Doreen Howard: Okay. Timothy Berry: Uh, [tapping] but during the week, we had to clean the grates where the people stand on so they don’t get sticky and stuff. Doreen Howard: Okay. Timothy Berry: [Yeah 17:48]. Cheryl McQuaid: [17:49] Tim, going back to when you first hired in, do you remember any check pools, raffles, drawings? [17:57] Can you tell us a little bit about those or if you ever participated? Timothy Berry: [laughter] Yeah. I participated. Uh, they had – [yeah 18:05] – check pools [background noises] and a little bit of gambling [throat clearing] going on. Um, they had, uh, uh – [I won't 18:13] mention names but they had people going around selling little stuff, you know, and, uh, they had raffles of cars [tapping] and, uh, [laughter] some of it end up being like rip-off stuff but, you know, [laughter] but – yeah. Cheryl McQuaid: Linda Johnson? Linda Johnson: Tim, tell us how a check pool was run for the people that don’t have the fun and experience of the shop. Tell’m how that went. Timothy Berry: Well usually somebody’d go around and ask you if you want to be in [background noises] the check pool and you put a dollar in and, uh, the highest number on your check stub – usually [throat clearing] it's like the last 3 digits and your change and if you made a poker hand out of that and then you'd win. Linda Johnson: [18:58] How much could you hope that you might get on a Friday night… Timothy Berry: [Inaudible 19:01]. Linda Johnson: …or Thursday night? Timothy Berry: About [papers rustling] 50 bucks, 30, 40, 50 bucks. [throat clearing] Cheryl McQuaid: [19:08] Did you ever work any changeovers? Timothy Berry: Uh, um, yes, uh, mainly when I was, uh, in Sanitation, I worked’m all but, uh, that’s about it. Cheryl McQuaid: When you hired in the – I think it was called the A and the B line, they were both on 1 floor and then later that was split up. [19:31] Could you tell me a little bit about that? Timothy Berry: Uh, you're right that both of'm were – the lines in Trim were on both lines upstairs and then when they moved’m – 1 downstairs, it was, uh, it was like, uh, it seemed like we had a lot more space upstairs and, uh, downstairs, uh, was it seemed like new, you know, uh, cleaner and, uh – uh, I guess the biggest difference that I noticed [papers rustling] being on the line was, uh, when they went to, uh, where we punch out by the card because I remember we used to stand in line to punch out and it’d take you like 5 or 10 minutes to punch out sometimes 'cause the [background noises] the big ole line [tapping] and stuff. Yeah. Cheryl McQuaid: [20:15] And then they changed to what? Timothy Berry: Oh, they do. They changed it r-, where we punched out at the gate. Cheryl McQuaid: Oh, okay. Timothy Berry: Yeah. So by the time we – I got there, the line was gone, so, [background noises] uh. Cheryl McQuaid: [20:28] Do you remember your first boss? Timothy Berry: Um, [George Nettles 20:32]. Yeah. Yep. Yes, I do. Cheryl McQuaid: [20:37] And do you remember a favorite boss? Timothy Berry: Uh… Cheryl McQuaid: [20:42] Or maybe a not-so-favorite boss? Timothy Berry: Uh, yeah, I had some good bosses but I'm terrible at names. [laughter] Yes, I had some [throat clearing] really nice bosses. Cheryl McQuaid: [20:53] What made a good boss a good boss? Timothy Berry: Um, just, you know, I, I did my job and they [tapping] left me alone and he had no problem with me and I had no problem with him. You know, uh, [background noises] um, uh, didn’t necessarily pick me out for trouble, you know, or, or, uh – [tapping] I don’t know. Someone – but, um, [tapping] treat me like a human, you know, pretty much. Cheryl McQuaid: Michael… Timothy Berry: [Inaudible 21:27]. Cheryl McQuaid: Flemming? Michael Flemming: Tim, you got, uh, 28-29 years almost now, uh, and through your time here there’s been some name changes. Uh, talk about the name changes. [21:41] It went from what – BOC to LCA and it was originally Fisher Body? [21:48] What do you call it and what do you feel about those name changes? Timothy Berry: Well when I hired in, it was Fisher Body and, uh, and then [background noises] they started changing it around and I couldn’t really tell ya what the names were because I always stayed with [pen clicking] Fisher Body and I think most of the people – what worked here anyhow, uh, we always called it Fisher Body and then when people would say well there ain't no more Fisher Body and I'd say well then Plant 6. You know? So… [background noises] Female: [Inaudible 22:15]. Timothy Berry: …but, uh, but yeah, I couldn't even tell ya what's it's called today. We still call if Fisher Body, most of us that still work here. [background noises] Cheryl McQuaid: [22:24] Do you remember, um, the music in the plant? Timothy Berry: Uh, yes. Cheryl McQuaid: [22:30] Can you tell us anything about different music stations or some cultural things that were happening? Michael Flemming: [22:38] Well Tim was in Trim, wasn’t he? Timothy Berry: Yes. Michael Flemming: Yes, indeed. So you know about the music. Timothy Berry: Oh, yeah. The music was, uh, loud and it was good [banging] 'cause it killed some time, you know, and, uh, and, um, every once in a while somebody would, you know, not like, uh, what other people were playing and have a little bit of a problem, you know, and, and the boss would have to go around and tell everybody turn it down and, and, uh – but I also remember water fights since we mentioned that. We used to, uh, get away with, uh, water balloons and stuff but – and that stopped years ago but in the summertime when it was hot, we used to get away with throwing water on each other and having a little bit of fun and stuff like that. But that stopped years ago but… Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Flemming? Michael Flemming: So, eh, eh, the music was loud. It was a great time in Trim at that time. [23:34] What [pen clicking] was it like after lunch? [23:35] After everybody went to lunch and came back and you're on, on second shift or first shift? Timothy Berry: I was second shift. Michael Flemming: Yeah. [23:41] So when you came back from lunch on the second shift, what was it like? Timothy Berry: Eh, [laughter] uh, uh, eh, you know, I didn’t – most of us, you know, eh, we did our job and everything but, you know, we were, [background noises] uh – again, in the early days, drinking was allowed, you know, and we drank and had fun and there was a lotta people that stayed by themselves and – I don’t [background noises] know. We just, uh – I don’t understand the question really. I think it's… Michael Flemming: [21:11] Well just, you know, eh, was it – did you have a good time after lunch? [24:14] Did it seem to be more festive? [24:15] Was it more fun after lunch or was it not more fun? Timothy Berry: Eh, I, hm, eh, yeah, it was more fun because we knew that it was, you know, closer to the end of the day and people were loosened up, you know [background noises]… Female: [Inaudible 24:30]. Timothy Berry: …and getting used to being there for the day. Female: Um… Michael Flemming: [24:31] Did you have departmental, um, [background noises] parties, uh, things that you all did at certain times of the year or just at any time at all? Timothy Berry: Yeah. We had, uh, like, [background noises] you know, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinners and, and, uh, usually, uh, somebody would be in charge of that and, [pen clicking] you know. It wasn’t me but, you know, I would, uh, you know, put in for it [throat clearing] and I'd definitely eat and bring pop or chips or whatever because… [background noises] Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn Coulter? Timothy Berry: That’s about it. Marilyn Coulter: Tim, just a couple things. [25:02] Just, just for point of clarification, when you say that drinking was allowed, was it that the rules weren't as strongly enforced or do you think it was more tight because it wasn’t like the management said oh, it's okay if you bring your beer in, right? [background noises] [papers rustling] Timothy Berry: Eh, no, it wasn’t legal but there was [papers rustling] a lotta people [what 25:18] [background noises] had, you know, [coughing] lockers full a bottles and stuff like that. No, uh, they – [pen clicking] I think, you know, back in the early days when I hired in [pen clicking] anyhow, uh, it was very common people had [pen clicking] bottles and was selling bottles in here. Marilyn Coulter: [25:32] And [pen clicking] now when we had radios, was it 1 radio or was it like 4 different radios all on the same station? Timothy Berry: Um… Marilyn Coulter: [25:40] How was that? Timothy Berry: …most of the time, uh, it was, you know, people having their own radios and – but, uh, every once in a while you'd have a big ole radio and everybody would listen to the same station and… Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Timothy Berry: …and most of the time we didn’t have a big problem [clanking] but [you was 25:55] sittin’ on the line and doing the same job and over and over, sometimes people [throat clearing] [could hear a] [inaudible 26:00] and complain about the music and… Marilyn Coulter: [26:04] So… Timothy Berry: …we had to cool it once in a while. Marilyn Coulter: …in the area that you worked in was it a rock area? [26:09] Was it a country r-, area? [26:11] What kind of music did you listen to? [background noises] [clanking] Timothy Berry: I n-, I remember listening mostly to rock and roll and, uh, I remember hearing s-, a lotta, um, uh – jeez, uh, um, Detroit music, uh, um, Motown... Marilyn Coulter: Oh, Motown. Timothy Berry: …and, uh, it was a lotta that. Yeah. It was good. [We will 26:31] always like that. It was always [background noises] fun. Cheryl McQuaid: Linda Johnson? Linda Johnson: Tim, you were talking about parties that your area would have. [background noises] [26:38] Were you ever the focus of a party just for you? [background noises] Timothy Berry: Hm, [pen clicking] [tapping] no. I don’t… Linda Johnson: I recall taking pictures… Timothy Berry: I don’t b-… Linda Johnson: …of a young man [background noises] and balloons. I don’t know if it was like an… Timothy Berry: Yeah. Linda Johnson: …engagement or… Timothy Berry: Oh, yes. Linda Johnson: …a [inaudible 26:50]… Timothy Berry: Yeah, y-… Linda Johnson: …for a birthday. [background noises] Timothy Berry: Yeah. Uh, yeah. [background noises] Now since you mentioned it, it was when I was gonna get married for the second time. Yeah. Yeah. They had a little party and balloons. Yeah. Linda Johnson: You… Timothy Berry: I forgot about that. Linda Johnson: You were well regarded then? Timothy Berry: Well, thank you. [background noises] Thank you. Yeah, I was… Linda Johnson: [Inaudible 27:07]. Timothy Berry: I was on days at that time… [thumping] Linda Johnson: Mm-hm. Timothy Berry: …and, uh, yeah. Yeah. [We had 27:12] – [pen clicking] I end up getting married for the second time and having another kid. That was pretty cool. My daughter’s, uh, 13 years old now. Yeah. So… Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn… Marilyn Coulter: [27:24] Tim… Cheryl McQuaid: …Coulter? Marilyn Coulter: …eh, because they did this for you, did you kinda see the people that you worked with kinda like your work family or anything like that? Timothy Berry: Oh, yes. Um.. Marilyn Coulter: Eh… Timothy Berry: …definitely. Marilyn Coulter: [27:33] Anybody that you're especially close to? Timothy Berry: Uh, um, eh, then, you know, uh, [inaudible 27:39] but I don’t – I haven't seen any of'm around in a long time, uh, Gomer, you know, and [Tommy 27:48] and, uh, [Alva 27:50], a lotta – yeah. And I remember names and… Marilyn Coulter: Hm. Timothy Berry: …but – and it was fun and – but not that I really got real close to [background noises] and hung out outta here… Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Timothy Berry: Uh, [background noises] for some reason, I never really hung out with… Marilyn Coulter: [28:04] Was – would y-… Timothy Berry: …people I usually worked with. Marilyn Coulter: [28:05] Would you say that’s a downside of going from one department to another, you lose contact with people? [background noises] Timothy Berry: Uh, uh, no, not really. I mean it's pretty much life. Marilyn Coulter: Hm. Timothy Berry: I've been divorced twice [this life 28:20], so. Cheryl McQuaid: And Douglas Rademacher? Doug Rademacher: [28:26] Tim, would you tell me about the relationship that you recognize with the union and the corporation? Timothy Berry: Um, uh, okay. What I r-, you know, they – well GM needs to make money, so we, you know, we [background noises] pretty much, uh, [tapping] do what we can to get along. You know? And it's been that way at this plant, uh, pretty much since I hired in, um, and I liked it that way. You know? Um, not that – none of us, I don’t think really, you know, killed ourself working or anything like that [background noises] but I d-, union and management pretty much got along pretty good. And the only problem I had with that is when we had foremans coming in from a different area, from a different plant and they didn’t know we were trying to – that we get along and then they would try to, uh, arm – you know, strong hand us or whatever but they finally picked up too. We [background noises] pretty much all get along at this plant anyhow, always have. Cheryl McQuaid: Linda Johnson? Linda Johnson: [29:31] What is your best to you bargained benefit that you have gotten from working here or for General Motors? [background noises] Timothy Berry: Well I – it's been a good living. I, you know, [background noises] I'm not an educated man and, and, uh, and it's been a good living. You know? It's, um, helped me bring up 2 families and I'm still doing it, so it's been a good living, honest living. Cheryl McQuaid: Doreen Howard? [throat clearing] Doreen Howard: Um, you’ve been here a long time and you’ve gone through a lot of changes [background noises] in that time from the main changes from Fisher Body till now. [30:22] Um, what's your feelings about the closing of this facility and the demolition of this building? Timothy Berry: You know, I at first, when May came and they shut the plant down, the lines were done, it was like [background noises] oh, man, I don’t like this and this and that but I've been still working 'cause I'm in Sanitation [background noises] and now I'm looking forward to the new plant because it's pretty much, uh, um, a shop’s a shop and, um, same union’s gonna be there s-, you know, different bosses. Uh, yeah, this place holds a lotta memories but it, it is getting old and they’ve letting it, you know, ain't done – kept up on maintenance real good the last few years and, and, uh, I'm looking forward to going to the new plant. I got a lotta memories here and, uh, uh, this place is like home, you know, and – but I'm – it's like moving to a new house, you know, I guess. [Inaudible 31:22] [background noises] It's gonna be all right. That’s what I tell myself anyhow. [pen clicking] Cheryl McQuaid: [31:27] Does anybody else… Timothy Berry: [Inaudible 31:27]. Cheryl McQuaid: …have any questions for Tim? [pen clicking] Tim, I'd like to say thank you very much for [background noises] being available to us. Timothy Berry: Well… Michael Flemming: T-… Timothy Berry: …you're welcome. Michael Flemming: Tim, I'd like to thank you as well. Male: Thank you, Tim. Female: Thank you, Tim. Male: [Inaudible 31:39]. Marilyn Coulter: Thank you, Tim. Timothy Berry: Thank you. Marilyn Coulter: [31:40] Was there anything that [tapping] you wanted to say that we did not ask you? Timothy Berry: Hm, no. Just that this place has been a, you know – and I already mentioned it. It's been a good living. Cheryl McQuaid: Thank you. Marilyn Coulter: Thank you. Male: [Inaudible 31:54]. [recorder clicking] /lo