Aleada Lynette Daniels, an African American General Motor's nurse, talks about her experiences at the Fisher Body plant in Lansing, MI Marilyn Coulter: Uh, Marilyn Coulter, Fisher Body Historical Team. It's August 24 at 10:39 a.m. We're speaking with Lynette Daniels, who is a nurse at, um, the plant. [0:18] And Lynette, you wanna tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you've been, uh, you know, how long you been a nurse here and what some of your good memories have been about here? Lynette Daniels: Okay, I came here February '85 shortly after nursing school. Basically all I knew is what they taught us in a book. When I came in and they were orientating me, it was like learning nursing all over again 'cause everything I learned about in the hospital did not even exist here. I had to learn to do things in a primitive way. Like make my own Q-tips. Make Steri-Strips. [laughter] There were a lot of things they didn't have, and then there were things that they used that made no rational sense on why they worked, but they did. So you – it was like learning a new kinda medicine. Marilyn Coulter: [1:05] What was somethin' that they used that worked but didn't make sense [inaudible 1:08]? Lynette Daniels: We had this jar of this brownish-green, greasy stuff called Iodex, and people wanted it on their joints and wrapped with an ACE bandage before they started work. When I looked up what Iodex was, it was Vaseline and iodine, and it had nothin' to do with joint pain, but the people could not work without it. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: It was a mental thing. Lynette Daniels: It was. They would come in and get their knees greased, their hands greased, their elbows greased, and we'd wrap it up with tape, and then they're ready to work. We used to have'm lined up before the line would start. Marilyn Coulter: For Iodex. Lynette Daniels: For Iodex. They couldn't work without it. Then we had this concoction called rhubarb and soda. And we couldn't run on Mondays without rhubarb and soda 'cause it got rid of hangovers. Marilyn Coulter: [1:57] Oh, really? Lynette Daniels: And then there, there was nothing in a, in a prescription or medicine book that said it worked, but if we didn't have it, we gonna have a riot. There were times when we were out of it, and they were like, we gotta call security get 'em outta here, 'cause they were upset. They needed their rhubarb and soda. So things like that where it was a different kind of medicine, here where certain things that made no sense worked. Marilyn Coulter: Maybe, so those are more just like grandmother's home, home remedies. Lynette Daniels: We did a whole lotta grandma's home remedies and lotta grandma's make your own equipment. You know, like, we were using Bunsen burners to make Steri-Strips to make them stick. Marilyn Coulter: [inaudible 2:33]. Lynette Daniels: We would sit when it was slow and take these wooden sticks and put cotton on'm and make our own Q-tips. Marilyn Coulter: Ohhh my God. Lynette Daniels: All…we didn't have packages of medication. We had to sit there and count it and put it in envelopes. It was [laughter] very primitive. Marilyn Coulter: Very primitive. [2:49] What would you say would be the biggest change since you been in the medical department? Lynette Daniels: The biggest change? Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Lynette Daniels: Um, the biggest change, and I don't necessarily see it as a good change, is when I first came here, we worked under doctors orders, and we were more like practitioners. Where if you came in and you were hurtin', I could actually take care of you and give you the medication you need, order your physical there, refer you out to a doctor, you know, give you prescription meds, where now I'm treated like, I shouldn't say treated like. Now that's been taken away where when you come in now, all I can do is, 'okay Marilyn, I'm sorry you hurt, here's an ice pack, go back to work'. That's the biggest change to me. Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. So… Lynette Daniels: And that's because of, you know, OSHA recordability has become so, such a big deal where it's hard for us to treat you like we did in the past where we used to try to take care of you so that you really could go back to work or get better in a few days. Marilyn Coulter: …so government laws, things that are actually supposed to– Lynette Daniels: Be good for you, have made– Marilyn Coulter: Made the process longer. [4:06] And which causes a lot of difficulty between you and the employees, I guess? Lynette Daniels: Yes, it has. 'Cause now they, there's, there's a, oh there's a certain group of employees that don't really know us that think that we don't know what we're doing as a result. Marilyn Coulter: Mm. I see. Lynette Daniels: So that's a sad change. Marilyn Coulter: That's a sad change. [4:22] Well, what's one of the good changes? Lynette Daniels: That we have new equipment that's up to date. That you don't have to look at a history book to figure out what the heck it is. Marilyn Coulter: [laughter] Well, that's good. [4:32] Um, I know that now you, um, you guys – how long have you been with the union? I know you, you… Lynette Daniels: We unionized in '95. Marilyn Coulter: '95? [4:45] So that's like, 10 years after you had – was there big change once that came out? Lynette Daniels: Yes, all for the better. Marilyn Coulter: There's a smile there, so I'm… Lynette Daniels: Yes. Marilyn Coulter: [4:53] …so what would you say was, probably was the best things that happened with you having the union come in? Lynette Daniels: Um, all of the nurses were treated equal, where before, it was, you know, if you weren't mommy's favorite or if you're mommy's favorite – there were no rules for us. Um, there could be situations where I have an issue outside of work, I take a vacation day. Another person has an issue outside of work, they were given excused time. It brought us together closer in pay. Gave us the same opportunities for continuing our education or certifications. It just brought about the equality that we needed in our department. Marilyn Coulter: [5:31] Now, is there, uh, building rotation still with the nurses now? Or are all the houses – 'cause I know we have – at the Lansing site, the nurses used to rotate sometime from different buildings… Lynette Daniels: Yeah, when we became unionized, and seniority counts, now you pick where you work and the shift you work by seniority. Marilyn Coulter: …so before you just went… Lynette Daniels: You went where they told you. Marilyn Coulter: [5:55]…and could that change day to day or week to week? Lynette Daniels: It could change day to day, week to week. And if you weren't mommy's favorite anymore. 'Cause they get to know you. This is an old regime that is no longer here, but they, they would get to know you, and they'd know your likes and dislikes, and when they wanted to punish you, they'd snatch one out the bag. Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Lynette Daniels: And that, and but – when we unionized, they weren't able – so it made working conditions a lot better for us. Less stressful, and you can predict what was going to happen tomorrow, where before, [laughter]… Marilyn Coulter: You didn't know. Lynette Daniels: …mm-mm. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: [6:35] So, um, you came out – you were in school, right, prior? Lynette Daniels: Bas-, yeah, about, I was out of school maybe 6 months before I came, yeah. Marilyn Coulter: [6:43] Ah, so you grew up here basically then, yeah? Lynette Daniels: Mm-hm. I did. Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Lynette Daniels: Yeah, I learned most of what I know about nursing from the nurses that had been here previous years. Marilyn Coulter: [6:51] Was there a nurse that was a senioritied nurse here that you might have said that was – you might have learned the most from, or helped you out the most, or taught you the ropes? Lynette Daniels: Dr. [Spag's 7:02] sister, Mary Fabiano. Marilyn Coulter: [7:09] And she was a nurse and she taught you the most? Oh. So, and, and – well, I know, like working on the line we always have, like, [sniff] new hire initiations that people do for you or it might have been, eh, our own little subculture, on how we treated that. [7:23] How would you say yours was? [inaudible 7:25] Lynette Daniels: It was more like the new nurse or the baby nurse gets all the, 'scuse me, shit jobs. [laughter] Like, if a difficult patient came in, the nur-, the nurses that had been here for years, they'd like, 'oh it's time take a break', and they'd leave you out there. [laughter] [laughter] Lynette Daniels: So, that's the – it was kind of a – and we still do that. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: So that still carries… Lynette Daniels: Oh yeah, it's a tradition. Marilyn Coulter: …what would you say, okay [inaudible 7:54]. Now, you said you came here right out of nursing school. [7:57] What made you come in here versus going to a hospital? Lynette Daniels: Now, that's a good story. When I was in nursing school, I worked in Sparrow's lab, you know, to make money, and it was drawin' blood. And, um, when I was learning to draw blood, they'd give you the easier patients, which are, like, uh, the pre-op where you get your blood work done before your surgery. So this woman came in. I drew her blood, and she was just chitting, chit-chatting with me asking me, you know, are you in school, what are you doin'. So when I told her I was in nursing school, she told me to come to GM and apply for a job. She said you will really like that type of nursing. And she said and you're really good with a needle, you should just check out industrial nursing. And I hadn't even gotten into the program yet, the nursing program, I was just working on my pre-requisites, and that stayed in my mind the whole time I was in nursing school, was that I'm gonna go to GM. So when I got my license, came right downstairs, asked for an application. They gave it to me, I filled it out, somebody took it, and maybe two, three months later, they called. Marilyn Coulter: Mm. [9:04] So, and I guess, when you said industrial nursing, um, is that some different type of schooling that you had to do versus regular school, or is it just called that? Lynette Daniels: No, it was, it was just different as, uh, cardiology nursing, pediatric nursing, industrial nursing. Marilyn Coulter: Okay, I didn't know if there was specifics that you had to know for that. Um, [9:17] now, [inaudible 9:18] say, can you tell me what might have been one of the – without naming names naturally, of course, what might have been one of the funnier cases you've ever had in the ho-, in, come through here, to your station? Lynette Daniels: [sigh] Let me think. I, I really can't, right off the… Marilyn Coulter: Oh, okay. Lynette Daniels: …'cause sometimes, I mean, 'cause sometimes the things that are funny aren't really funny. You know how you can find humor in somethin' that's not funny? Marilyn Coulter: Yeah. Lynette Daniels: So, [laughter] not really. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: Oh, I see. That's ok, [inaudible 9:44]. Yeah, I know I used to work at [inaudible 9:47], 'cause I used to work at an emergency room for a minute, and some things were funny. People bring in whole branches and stuff like that. But, um, let's see, the other question I was going to ask you was, mmm. So, what would you say, um, I know sometimes we've had certain things go on here. Now, you guys have to go out on emergency staff sometimes. [10:15] Has that, have you had to do that before? Lynette Daniels: Mm-hm. Marilyn Coulter: [10:19] So what would you say would have been the worst? Lynette Daniels: Yeah, I don't know if it was the worst, but it was trying to make the sit-, the one where I felt we had to make a bad situation work out was, um, a time when a guy was above the ovens using a shop vac to blow off some type of piping. The vac started to fall 'cause he was sitting on the edge, and his impulse was to grab for it, and when – and he wasn't thinking, and when he went to grab for it, he fell down on top of the ovens. And we had to, um – it was during a down time, so of course, they called, and we had to get him down to medical, and we had – and that was still when we were improving our equipment and still were working with things that were, like, what do you do with it. And we had a backboard with no straps. 'Cause, you know, we – he had neck involvement, and we didn't know how we were gonna get him down, and we had, um, these areas where stairwells weren't that wide, and they were really steep. And we had to carry him on a backboard with no straps. So I duct-taped him. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: Ah, once again the many miracles of duct tape! [laughter] Lynette Daniels: I duct-taped his head up, he was like a mummy. And we duct-taped him down and carried him down like that. Marilyn Coulter: Awesome. [11:38] Well, um, can you think of any other things you'd like to share with us? Thank you for your time. Awesome. Lynette Daniels: Thank you. Do I need… /hj