Sharon Decker, contract occupational and physical therapist at Fisher Body medical, talks about her experiences in the factory Doreen Howard: Hi. I'm Doreen Howard. I'm with the Fisher Body History Team [tsk] and it is October 10, 2005. [snapping] I'm sorry. Doug Rademacher: 6th. Doreen Howard: [Inaudible 0:10]. Female: 6th. Doreen Howard: October 6. I just said that. Um, [clicking] we're here with Sharon Decker. She's one of the physical therapists [snapping] here at the plant. [clicking] And if everyone could go around and state their names for the record? Michael Fleming: I'm Mike Fleming. Cheryl McQuaid: Cheryl McQuaid. Linda Johnson: Linda Johnson. Jerri Smith: Jerri Smith. John Fedewa: John Fedewa. Doug Rademacher: Doug Rademacher. Marilyn Coulter: Marilyn Coulter. Doreen Howard: Okay. And we are doing this interview today at the Fisher Body Plant and it is 5 to 9. [clicking] [throat clearing] [0:45] Um, Sharon, can you please, uh, state your name and address for the record please? [clicking] Sharon Decker: I'm Sharon Decker. I live at 4888 North Gunnell in Dimondale. Doreen Howard: Okay. Um, are, [clicking] are you married at all? Sharon Decker: Yes, I am. Doreen Howard: Good. And you have… Sharon Decker: For 20 years. Doreen Howard: Twenty years. Wow, that's a long time. Sharon Decker: No children. Just birds. Doreen Howard: Just birds? Okay. And are you married to someone that works here or someone that works outside of here? Sharon Decker: No. My husband works for the state of Michigan. He does computer work at the… Doreen Howard: Mm. Sharon Decker: …state. Doreen Howard: Okay. [clicking] Um, you work in our Physical Therapy Department. Sharon Decker: I have since, um,'86. Shortly after I got married, I joined the Physical Therapy Department and worked there. I started over at the HRC building, and then when they opened up therapy here at Fisher Body, I've been working here ever since. I've gone through quite a th-, few, um, different employees, so every time I guess it was – [Inaudible 1:49] started out at first. And then they had the contract [throat clearing] for maybe, I don't know, 7, 8 years? And then Ingham Medical took over the contract. So I worked with them for, I don't know, [yawning] 7 – 6 years. And then now I'm workin' for PRS, the company [background noise] out of Kansas. So I've gone through lots of companies and I've seen lots of people here. Doreen Howard: [2:12] Well, tell, tell me about your first few days working here in the plant. Can you recall? Sharon Decker: Oh, well, [laughter] while I worked at the HRC building [coughing] and you know how beautiful that was. It was windows, nice, and spacious. And then all of a sudden they put us over at this Fisher Body Plant where there's no windows. You have ta climb stairs. There's – It's like a little sardine box, so. I was really disappointed. I just thought they put us in this awful building [laughter] but – And then – Plus, y'know, to walk all the way out from the parkin' lot it was awful too because I thought I'd park my car out there and I'd get lost tryin' ta find my, my car on the way back or I'd go for lunch and it took me the whole lunch hour ta find my car and thinkin' somebody stole my car. Doreen Howard: [Inaudible 3:02]. [laughter] Sharon Decker: But I found it [coughing] and decided that I'll just eat my lunch here or, or at Harry's, so. The first day it was kinda awful, and after a while, ya got used to it and you didn't mind and you just thought, "well, this is part a the routine." It was fascinating ta, y'know, walk across the, um, tracks and see, um, y'know, the cars bein' built. So that was very interesting. And usually, ya [snapping] had this whole crew of people sayin' hello to you every morning. So that was [coughing] very… Doreen Howard: [3:37] Now, what actually do you do when someone comes in to see you [inaudible 3:41]? Can you explain a little bit about what, what your job is? Sharon Decker: Well, usually what happens is the, um, physical therapist or the occupational therapist'll check out the patient to see what needs ta be done, what kind of, um, therapy they need, and, um, usually they'll get'm on a routine of, um – Y'know, most people just need exercise and get'm on a good exercise program, usually massage or, um, hot packs, or, um, ultrasound, so usually, we'll just get'm going. Doreen Howard: [4:19] Do you have any, um, any type of injuries that are like considered a typical injury for, for our plant, y'know? Is there… Sharon Decker: Um, usual… Doreen Howard: …something that is… Sharon Decker: …ly, it's… Doreen Howard: …reoccurring a lot? Sharon Decker: …carpal tunnel. Doreen Howard: Carpal tunnel? Sharon Decker: Lots a carpal, carpal tunnel. That and, uh, lateral epicondylitis too. So we see a lotta that. A lotta, um, upper body injuries. We haven't seen too many backs lately. Just lots a hands and… Michael Fleming: Would that be considered repetitive [throat clearing] motion? Sharon Decker: Yeah, definitely. Michael Fleming: Uh… Sharon Decker: Lots a squeezing. Y'know, a lotta people with the power tools and, um, I think , y'know, just a lotta, [sniffing] y'know, um, jobs that they have to do over and over again, so. Michael Fleming: Okay. W-, we do consider repetitive motion jobs. Sharon Decker: Yeah. Michael Fleming: Um, musculoskelet-, skeletal, um, um, injuries more so than anything else? Sharon Decker: Yeah. Definitely. We don't get too many, y'know, bad accidents where, um, um, they have bad injuries but, y'know, just repetitive injuries. Michael Fleming: [5:32] And you work with, uh, a crew? By yourself? Sharon Decker: I work with, um, physical therapists and also occupational therapists. So there's 3 of us now. When we first started out, we had, y'know, quite a few therapists. And then as the years, um, have continued, we've, um, had just a smaller crew. We see less people. Michael Fleming: At this point you do. I, I do – And I can remember some of the people that were in there. There was quite a diverse group in there, if I remember correctly. Wasn't there a gentleman from Africa or something? Sharon Decker: Yeah. Isaac. He was from, um, Nigeria. Michael Fleming: Okay. And then the rest of your – Were, were you all from the inner city of Lansing? Did you come [sneezing] from the outskirts? What, what drew ya ta, ta Lansing? Sharon Decker: Oh, I am from Lansing but, uh, you – We got a – We have – We had a lot – a big crew from different places. From Nigeria and from, um – [Jackie 6:36] was from, um, Jamaica. And then also we have, um, a girl from Sweden – a couple girls from Sweden, so we have a lotta therapists that had come from different countries, so. Michael Fleming: What did that add to your work environment with all these different cultures and… Sharon Decker: Oh, very interesting. We had [Joshna 6:57] also from India, so, um, y'know, very interesting. Y'know, whole different… Michael Fleming: It allowed you… Sharon Decker: …lifestyle. Michael Fleming: …ta learn about their different cultures and… Sharon Decker: Um, yeah. Very, very neat. It took a while ta get, um, interest, or ta understand like Joshna from India. It took me a while ta understand her, but after you work with somebody for, uh, a couple months, then you can, um, have an easier time understanding her dialect and her, um… Doreen Howard: Doug? Doug Rademacher: Sharon, um, [throat clearing] I heard you say that you started over at the, um, HRC building. [7:39] Is that on St. Joe… Sharon Decker: Yeah. Doug Rademacher: …and Waverly? Sharon Decker: There was [inaudible 7:42] School. Doug Rademacher: And I've been in there. And I know how nice of a – almost an office medical building that was. [7:50] Did you ever see the actual process of building vehicles before you came [sneezing] into the Fisher Body Plant? Sharon Decker: Nope. That was my first time. Doug Rademacher: So my question to you is – Back then, without an understanding of the, the, uh, type of work that people did when they came to you, [8:11] after coming into here, did you take on a appreciation for the worker and the injury that they actually had when you walked by and saw the type of work that they were doing on a daily basis out on the assembly line? Sharon Decker: Oh, yeah. You could see that, y'know, these people were, y'know, constantly up and moving and, um, there wasn't much of a break. And, um, workin' at HRC, you had no idea. Y'know, people would try ta explain their job to ya and you tried ta understand. But it's a little bit hard if you don't see it here. So it was a big awakening ta see, um, how people worked. Very interesting. Doug Rademacher: [8:57] Can I ask where you got your education? Uh, what prepared you to go into physical therapy? Sharon Decker: I'm a [snapping] physical therapy technician, so I work under the therapist and work under the occupational therapist. So, um, I have, y'know, a little bit of college background but I don't, I don't have a degree in physical therapy. Marilyn Coulter: Um, just a, just a slightly different vein here. Uh, Sharon, you said you were from Lansing. [9:22] Did you, um – What side of town did you live on? Sharon Decker: Um, I lived on the east side a town, right off 496. Marilyn Coulter: S-,… Sharon Decker: Right by Potter Park area. My parents just recently moved away from that area. Marilyn Coulter: Mm. Sharon Decker: So we've, we grew up in Lansing. Always… Marilyn Coulter: [9:41] So did you know any – Did you, um… Sharon Decker: Oh, my father was a, a GM employee, so. Marilyn Coulter: Oh, your father was a General Mo-, – GM… Sharon Decker: Yeah. He worked there 30 some years, so. Marilyn Coulter: [9:51] Was he hourly or salaried? Sharon Decker: Um, hourly. Marilyn Coulter: [9:53] So was this anything like what you might've heard him talk about as a child? Sharon Decker: Y'know, he didn't really talk about it. Usually, I think after working in the factory all day, the typical position of my dad was – He'd come home and he was out on the couch sleeping. I think the whole like, y'know, day of workin' in the plant all day exhausted you, so he was napping most of the time. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: [10:19] Now, [laughter] did you find that your father talked – spoke loud at home? D-, – Or was he, uh, soft spoken? Sharon Decker: Oh, yeah. W-, – He's, I guess, your typical dad where, y'know, if – I ca-, I came from a large family. And if you were makin' a lotta noise and disturbing dad, you got [inaudible 10:33] like "shut up." [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: [Inaudible 10:36]. Sharon Decker: "Pipe down." But no, I – Y'know, he wasn't very loud. Marilyn Coulter: Hm. And oftentimes people who work in the plant, y'know, you found that – My dad worked in a factory too and I found out – Once I worked here, I understood why he spoke so loud. Because it was so loud in here. So I wondered about that. [10:52] So did you – So as a child, did you, uh, – Did you have any ideas of what this was gonna be like when you came in here? Did you ever think you'd be workin' inside here in some [inaudible 11:02]? Sharon Decker: No. At first, I thought, "Oh, my God. I don't wanna…" y'know, I – Y'know, I didn't want ta have anything [pen clicking] ta do with, y'know, working with the plant or in the plant. I just thought, "no thanks." But after you – Y'know, I, I've been here 20 years and I do like it. You meet all kinds a interesting people and ta hear their stories and, y'know, they have so many hobbies that, um, it's just very interesting. You do, y'know, run into so many people that you really – I've really enjoyed it. And, um, y'know, it is kinda upsetting ta think that, y'know – Y'know, every time I went through a contract change, ta think, "oh, no," y'know, "I might not have a job here. What will I do?" So I do enjoy workin' here. Marilyn Coulter: [11:52] So what are some of your most interesting memories you have about being here since you were… Anything, y'know, exciting ever happen to you or something re-, really memorable? Sharon Decker: Um, I – We'll have ta come back ta that one. [laughter] Okay? Marilyn Coulter: Sure. Doreen Howard: [12:10] What, what was a typical day like for you? What time would you usually start? What time would you go home? And, and, what, what did your day actually involve? [clicking] Sharon Decker: Um, usually we just, um – I start at 8:30 now and – So usually, um, we see patients about 9:00. And so we see'm all morning long and then, um, we see a lot of hands and shoulders and – There's a guy that, um, fell off a dirt bike and he injured himself. He broke s-, y'know, several ribs. And he's injured his scapula, so he's tryin' ta get back in shape to get back into th-, into work. And so, um, we're tryin' ta help him out with exercise, get'm stronger. He punctured a lung. And so he was comin', uh, into work ta see the doctor and ta say, y'know, "I wanna go back ta work." Y'know, he couldn't breathe but he still wanted ta get back ta work. And the doctor's like, "No, no, no. Ya gotta get in better shape than this." So he's trying really hard ta get back in shape and he's liftin' weights and goin' through all his exercise. And, um, he wants to return ta work. He's been off long enough. He wants ta work. So, y'know, the majority of the people I run into do love working. Y'know, you might hear that, y'know, a lotta people are tryin' ta get outta work. But the majority that I run into want to work, so, y'know, it's... Doreen Howard: Hm. Okay. Most of the injuries [throat clearing] that you see are, are actual, true injuries and people are not just making it up just ta… Sharon Decker: No. Doreen Howard: …y'know… Sharon Decker: No. Doreen Howard: …get out of doing things? Like in – A lotta people, they – Especially with like the repetitive injuries. Y'hear a lotta people – You can't see it, so they tend ta think that, "Oh, there's nothing wrong with that person. They're just faking it or whatever." Sharon Decker: Yeah. I think a lotta people think that they are faking it, y'know? That if you don't see blood, if you don't see scars, y'know, they're faking it. But, y'know? I don't know. I think if you worked on the line for, I don't know, how many hours a day, y'know, 7 days a week, 6 days a week [clicking] you do have injuries. Y'know, sometimes you're wonder how the people, these people do it. Y'know, I'll go home and wash my car for an hour and I'm thinkin', "oh, my God," [laughter] "how do people [coughing] work standing up for, y'know, 7, 8, 10 hours?" So, well, it's hard work. Doreen Howard: Yeah. Um, [tsk] [14:50] was there any, um, things that you did during the day on your lunch hours or any type of activities that you were involved with, with other [snapping] people in, in the plant? Did you go outside of your physical therapy… Sharon Decker: Oh, y'know… Doreen Howard: …area? Sharon Decker: …what's fun is that every once in a while we'll have a job fair and we'll go to Plant 6 or, um, even here we had, had the job fairs and, um, usually, we'll set up our booth to let people know that we're here, y'know, "Here's physical therapy. If you get injured, [background noise] come and, um, and talk to [tapping] us." And so usually we have a, a gadget where it helps you, um, [tapping] tell people's grip strength. And the guys are just a riot, y'know. They wanna know how strong they are, so it's like very competitive. Y'know, somebody comes over and has a really strong grip strength, they have ta bring their buddy [throat clearing] over, ta, y'know, "Come on. Lemme see how hard you can grip this." So that's enjoyable. [[background noise] It's fun ta talk ta people and see people who've been in therapy before. It's kinda like a little reunion, so it's enjoyable. Doreen Howard: [16:00] Did you become, um [snapping] – Did you have any friendships that developed over the years? Was, um, any of the employees… Sharon Decker: Oh, I had… Doreen Howard: [Inaudible 16:10]? Sharon Decker: My friend in medical [clicking], where we walked every day at lunch, where, y'know, go out in this neighborhood here and walk in the area. And we've probly been walking, I don't know, [yawning] 10 years. And I think she's gonna go over to the Delta plant and I think I'm gonna go to the LGR plant. And I'm like, "who'll I walk with?" Y'know, I practically have grown [coughing] up with her, heard her, um, stories of her children, so, um… And then this area out here is beautiful ta go walking and the landscape's beautiful and the flowers are great, y'know. Every time you go out there you think, "I need to go home and plant some flowers." [murmuring] So it's a beautiful area. Doreen Howard: Um, [snapping] 20 years. That's a long time ta, ta work for one, in 1 building. Well, not r-, particularly 1 building. [17:09] How long – You said you came over here in [snapping] '80, '84? Sharon Decker: I think it was like maybe '90… Doreen Howard: '90s? Sharon Decker: … '91. Doreen Howard: Okay. Sharon Decker: I can't remember. Doreen Howard: Um, that's a… Sharon Decker: I need ta write… Doreen Howard: …long time. Sharon Decker: …these things down. [laughter] Doreen Howard: [17:20] How, how have the, um, [tsk] working conditions in our facility – Have they changed from, from your perspective at all? [clicking] As far as, um – Has there been, um, [tsk] more injuries or fewer injuries over, over the time period? Um, they put in like ergonomics and other, uh, programs that they try ta help, uh, people, so that they wouldn't get injured. Um, do you see that from, from where you're coming from? From the physical therapy area? Are, are you seeing that there's fewer injuries or more injuries or are they about the same, or? Sharon Decker: Y'know, I see a lot less people than when I first [throat clearing] started. Y'know, we used ta be just jam-packed with people. We'd see people every half an hour. And now it's – We see less. Y'know, we'd just see maybe, um, y'know, a f-, y'know, a few people in the morning and a few people at night. And then now that Fisher Body is closed down, y'know, uh, we see a few people from LGR, so, um, we do see a lot less people. Doreen Howard: [18:33] So some of these programs that they've instituted over the years… Sharon Decker: I would… Doreen Howard: …may be contributing to that? Sharon Decker: I would hope so, think so but, uh… Doreen Howard: [18:46] Um, [tsk] how do you feel about your last few days that you're gonna be here at this facility? Do you have any [snapping]… Sharon Decker: Oh, y'know, I'm kinda [tapping] excited because, um, I have windows o-, over at LGR. [laughter] I'm on a window. I wanna see if it's [throat clearing] raining or it's snowing or if there's a storm. But, um, I don't know. Y'know, I think I, I, I just don't know what to spect, expect at LGR. Y'know, just like where am I gonna park? But, um, it is sad. It really is. It was sad when they, y'know, closed the doors here [snapping] and the majority of the people left. You could tell they were pretty happy though. [laughter] It's like, y'know – I don't know. Some people were kinda happy and some people were just, [sniffing] um, kinda sad too. There was a big variety of emotions. Michael Fleming: [19:41] How about yourself? Uh, how, how do you feel about the Fisher Body plant closing down? Sharon Decker: Um, y'know, it is kinda sad ta see it close down. I guess, [coughing] um, I don't know. I think i-, if I just – I'm gonna be a phys-, y'know, at Fisher Body and then go ta LGR, then it's just a transition. And it is, it is sad, but. Michael Fleming: Whe-, when you think about the, um, the, the times that you've come in for all those years. There were people everywhere. And within the last 4 months or so you've been coming in, there's no one. It's kinda different, isn't it? Sharon Decker: Oh, yeah. It's kinda like a ghost town, y'know. If you walk through here and you see all the, um, machinery stacked in piles and, um, computers stacked in piles. You just think, "Wow. How are they doin' this?" It just doesn't seem feasible to me that something, y'know, that you could tear this plant down. It just doesn't seem like it's possible. Doreen Howard: A lotta changes ta the future. Lotta, lotta changes coming up. Sharon Decker: Yeah. Doreen Howard: Pretty scary. Doug Rademacher: Well, you, um, you said that you – Every contract, you were switching companies also, so you really didn't know if you were gonna work for the same company or if the contract would be renewed. So that feeling that you had about, [throat clearing] um, no job security, you're not guarantee – This – And that's what every autoworker has felt… Sharon Decker: Um… Doug Rademacher: …from the time I hired in the 1978, [snapping] y'know, you never knew if you were going to get another product or if you'd be employed. And as you were just saying the feeling of walking through and seeing all the, the machinery taken down [background noise]. Knowing that we have plants around the country that are shutting down permanently. [21:36] Is there – Do you, do you recognize and feel a, a sense of accomplishment also with this workforce that, that there's a new plant being built for this workforce? Sharon Decker: Well, I think what's kinda sad – I-, it's nice that people get ta go to a new building and i-, in a new plant but it's kinda sad that they're gonna have, y'know, less employees there. And, um, I'm kinda afraid that, [tapping] um, when they go there, uh, when the employees go to the new plant – You just wonder how, um, job-friendly will it be, y'know? Will the people have ta, um, continuously, y'know, work and, um – Y'know, there's not much breaks. When you hear about people workin' at LGR, I – They just don't like it, y'know? It just is too fast of a pace. It just seems like, y'know, you get no break time. You get no recovery time. This is what I hear, so I'm kinda afraid. Is the new plant, is the Delta plant gonna be like that? Will people, y'know, have ta constantly stand and not sit? Y'know, how mean. Let these people sit down. [laughter] Doug Rademacher: Well, it just sounds like you have a – You said that it's gonna be a transition over to LGR and you looking forward to the windows. But it sounds like, over this 20 years, you've got a real compassion for the worker of this, of this facility. Sharon Decker: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Y'know, d-, – I – Usually, people come in for therapy and you, you form a bond 'cause you're with'm for maybe 2 weeks, maybe 4 weeks and you find out about their family and what's going on. And, y'know, they're just like me and you and, y'know, Joe Blow. Y'know, it's kinda like, y'know, they are family, so, y'know, you don't want'm to be injured and you don't want them ta, um, um, have injuries when they're 67 years old. You just think, y'know, "Don't ruin your shoulder. Um, you still have ta live with it when you retire." So we kinda hate ta see'm – those kinda injuries. Doug Rademacher: You shared a little bit ago that – When she asked about a memorable moment in your period here, uh, you said we'd have to go back to that. I'd like ta go back to that just briefly. [23:55] Did anything ever happen? Did anyone ever do anything special? Were you ever recognized for something, uh, in your profession or did anybody in the plant, um, celebrate your birthday? Something special that happened for you? Sharon Decker: Oh, y'know, uh, we used ta just put signs all over the, the wall, y'know, "Happy Birthday." If you turned 40, y'know, it was all plastered all over your – the wall [throat clearing] so people would come by and have ta find out who's 40 and, and, um, and, I don't know. Sometimes you kinda hate that. It's like, "I don't wanna be recognized for havin' a birthday," when you're 40. [laughter] But, yeah. Usually we have birthday parties and cake and ice cream. [clicking] Doug Rademacher: Well, we had, um, a lot of members – We have the convenience of, uh, having a place called Harry's Place that people, uh, would go to for lunches. And I heard you say at the start of the interview that you used ta bring your lunch and get lost trying ta find your vehicle or trying ta go to lunch, so you started packing your lunch. And then you did mention that you'd go to Harry's, so, um, a lotta people have a misconception about what they call a shop bar. [25:16] What was your impression of, of Harry's Place? Sharon Decker: Oh, y'know, usually I'll just run in ta Harry's. It just seems like a big family bar when I stop by, y'know. There's usually people I recognize from the plant in there and I'll go pick up my sandwich and leave. But, y'know, I've never really sat down there. Usually, it's just [snapping] smoky to go in there, so. But, I don't know. They have good food. Doreen Howard: Hm. [snapping] Well, is there, um, anything at all that [throat clearing] you can think of that you'd like ta share with us that we may have not touched upon? Sharon Decker: Hm. Well, I just probly would like ta tell you guys that it's a great plant. I've really enjoyed working. I guess when you think back, you think, y'know, it's pretty sad ta think that they are closing down and that you're, y'know – You'll miss a lotta people and… Doreen Howard: Hm. Sharon Decker: But I'm sure it was, y'know – It seems like the majority of the people that you do talk to enjoyed working here and enjoyed their, um, friendship. Y'know, people would stop by Therapy and, um, y'know, always hassle each other. Y'know, you could tell that there was a good, um, friendship there, so. [clicking] It seems like a nice plant. Doreen Howard: Okay. Sharon Decker: I enjoyed it. Hopefully… Doreen Howard: [Inaudible 26:42]. Sharon Decker: …I can continue. Doreen Howard: Well, thank you very… Female: Thank you. Doreen Howard: …much for your interview. Michael Fleming: Yes. We thank you very much Sharon. Sharon Decker: Phew. /lb