Barbara Rossi discusses her career as a GM salaried executive assistant at the Fisher Body plant in Lansing, MI Cheryl McQuaid: This is Cheryl McQuaid. I'm with Lansing Fisher Body historical team. We're in the Labor Relations conference room. It is November 7, 2005, at approximately 10:30 a.m. We're preparing to interview Barbara Rossi. Uh, first, we're gonna go around the room and state everybody's name that's present. Michael Fleming: I'm Mike Fleming. Marilyn Coulter: Marilyn Coulter. Doreen Howard: Doreen Howard. Linda Johnson: Linda Johnson. Doug Rademacher: Doug Rademacher. John Fedewa: John Fedewa. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:28] Barbara, would you please state your name and spell your last name for us and your address, please? Barbara Rossi: Barbara Rossi, R-O-S-S-I, 5434 West Willow Highway, Lansing, Michigan 48917. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:42] And are you married? Do you have children? Barbara Rossi: Yeah, I'm married, but I don-, do not have children. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:47] And what is your educational level? Barbara Rossi: I have a BA through Michigan State. I was a schoolteacher for 3 years, and then I also have a Masters in Management through Aquinas. Cheryl McQuaid: [0:59] Could you tell us what your hiring date is at Fisher Body? Barbara Rossi: July 1st of 1981. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:06] And do you remember that day? Barbara Rossi: Yes. Cheryl McQuaid: [1:08] Could you tell us a little bit about it? Barbara Rossi: Yes. Um, just a little p-, prelude to this is, um, the week before, I, when I hired in, I was working at, uh, Michigan Employment, Unemployment Service there. We helped in the hirin-, hiring of hourly people in 1981, and, uh, we interviewed like, 10,000, approximately 10,000 people. And, uh, so, anyway, um, they had an opening in a salaried position here at the plant, and, um, got a call from, my boss got a call from, um, Bob [McMonagle 1:39] that works here, that worked here at Fisher Body, and he said we have an opening for a salaried person. Could we interview someone? She said I'm looking at somebody right now I want you to interview. So I w-, I found out about it on Wednesday. That Friday I was interviewed here. The following Monday, I was called to firm up the offer, and the following Wednesday I started here. So it was quite a whirlwind type of a thing. My first day here, I was overwhelmed because not only did I have to learn my job, but I had to go across the way – 'cause I was, I worked in, uh, uh, Employment… [coughing] Barbara Rossi: …um, as a clerk, and I had to go across the hall to learn [sickness and accident 2:12], um, to be their vacation replacement when those clerks weren't there. So in the morning, I would go and I would, um, I would learn my regular job, and in the afternoon, I'd go to my other job and learn that. So my first day was overwhelming. I thought what did I do, why did I take this job. And, uh, but, everybody was very nice to me. There was a whole group of people that introduced themselves to me and made me feel very comfortable, but it was a very overwhelming posit-, uh, feeling when I first started here. Cheryl McQuaid: [2:41] And what about the first time you walked out on the plant flo-, floor? Barbara Rossi: I wore a dress, and my dre-, and I thought now, I know how, how factory people are, that they tell you how they feel about things. I walk out on the floor, and I had a dress on that had red and white stripes on it, and right away I heard someone say hey candy cane! So I knew I was accepted. [laughter] Barbara Rossi: So, I just went over, and I talked to the guys, and it was just a lot of fun, um. But it was, i-, it's the just warmth you feel when you walk out on the floor. It's just really nice pe-, they're genuine, they tell you the truth, they don't mess with ya. If they don't talk to you, then you know you're in trouble. Because they don't like you. [laughter] So… [so funny. 3:19] [laughter] Cheryl McQuaid: Mike, you have a question? Michael Fleming: Yes, I do. Barb, you came in in '81. [3:25] What year did you get your BA and your Master's? Barbara Rossi: 'Kay, I, uh, my BA was in 1976, and my Master's was in 1986. Michael Fleming: [3:33] Okay, so, uh, was it through working here that you were able to get your Master's degree? Barbara Rossi: Correct, yes. Michael Fleming: [3:40] Can you talk about that, how the educational program worked for you? Barbara Rossi: It was great. Um, I, uh, it was very hard because when you work full time and you go to school, you're very, very tired. [coughing] Barbara Rossi: But Aquinas, um, they were one of the few groups – see, I was gon – I wanted to go to Michigan State to get my Master's, but I was told flat-out the last year you're gonna have to take time off from work, and I thought I got a job, I wanna work. [coughing] Barbara Rossi: So, I ended up going with Aquinas because they had a night program that was all night. And now that, fortunately that has changed. Um, and Aquinas was ju-, it was just a really good program. They had an extension service here, so I rarely had to go to Grand Rapids where they're s-, they're located. And it was, it was a good program. It was very tiring, but I really learned a lot, and I apply both, from both of my degrees I apply so much to my job every single day. [throat clearing] Michael Fleming: All right. Says you were a schoolteacher. Barbara Rossi: Mm-hm. Michael Fleming: [4:35] Um, did you have an opportunity to, uh, teach while you were here in any of the departments that you, um, work in? Barbara Rossi: Yes. Well, uh, I think teach every single day. When I work with people, if they, uh, you know, th-, um, I try to make peop-, I, my husband always gives me a joke about, um, I, you're always, you're an independent woman. And what I try to do is, I, I don't mind, you know, doing the work, but if I can help someone else provide for themselves to – and it was hard because it's harder to teach somebody than it is just to say okay I'll just do it. Because then, because what you've done is you've empowered somebody else to do their work. And instead of just trying to, you know, people are like, me, me, I gotta do it myself, and all that. If you teach someone, if you take time to teach them how to do something, then they're off and running, and then they can teach somebody else how to do it, too. So you've empowered people. So I use my skills every single day. Michael Fleming: Great. [inaudible 5:24] Cheryl McQuaid: [5:28] You said that you hired in, in the salary employment office? Barbara Rossi: Yes. Hourly employment. Cheryl McQuaid: Ho-, hourly employment. Barbara Rossi: Hourly. Cheryl McQuaid: [5:33] How long did you do that job, and where did you go after that? Barbara Rossi: I called those pregnancy, uh, class, er, times work because when I worked, I worked at the state. I worked 9 months in Treasury, 9 months in MESC, and then 9 months in hourly employment here, and, uh, Don Chenoweth, um, was the plant manager here, and I always thought he must think I'm a real goof-off because every time he'd walk by, um, our area, it was during lunch hour 'cause he'd go upstairs to the cafeteria and eat. And then when he'd come down he'd always pass by our area and just wave at us. And we'd always be laughing and goofing around because, um, from 12 until 1, we were closed, uh, to the general public in order to get our work done. To get to do filing, 'cause at that time we still had the old-fashioned typewriters and stuff, and we wou-, and we, it was a good group to work in. So we were always laughing and having a good time. He's probably thinkin' you're an idiot. And, uh, 'cause you know, you're just always laughing and stuff. Well, when the opening came up, and h-, and h-, when his secretary retired, he asked me to, if I wanted to be interviewed, and I said sure. And I had never spoken with the man before. And I was interviewed, and I was hired to work up there. And then I was there ever since until the, this closedown now. And now th-, I'm going back to hourly employment. That's where I'll be working now. Cheryl McQuaid: Oh, really, at the new plant. Barbara Rossi: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Cheryl McQuaid: [6:45] So you will be going there? Barbara Rossi: Uh, not the new plant. We service both 602 and 652, so our location will be Building 66. It's basically where to put us, 'cause there's 6 of us. And so there's really not that room out at Delta. Even though we service Delta, we're gonna be at 66, and our move date is Wednesday. Cheryl McQuaid: Oh. [oooh] Barbara Rossi: And who is the coordinator? Me. [laughter] [laughter] Cheryl McQuaid: You're very busy. Barbara Rossi: Oh yeah. Yep. Cheryl McQuaid: Um, Doreen Howard. Doreen Howard: Um, you talked about your degree, and that you, um, got your Master's while you were here. [7:21] Did you take advantage of, um, the benefits, uh, what's it called…the TAP program? Barbara Rossi: I don't know what the TAP program is. Doreen Howard: The tuition assistance… Barbara Rossi: Oh, oh, yes, yes. Doreen Howard: …program? Barbara Rossi: Yes, definitely. Oh, yes. They paid my education. Definitely. GM did. Yep. I am very grateful. [laughter] [coughing] Cheryl McQuaid: Yes, Doug Rademacher. Doug Rademacher: Barb, you've worked for a, a number of different, since you took the job for Mr. Chenoweth, there's been a change in, in, uh, plant managers over the years. [7:58] Can you share a little bit about each one of those… Barbara Rossi: Mm-hm. Doug Rademacher: …particular managers? Barbara Rossi: Um, I've worked for 4 plant managers. Um, Don Chenoweth being the first, and he was wonderful, but he was a taskmaster. Very detail oriented, and, I mean, we worked, I literally worked 7 days a week when he was here. 'Cause our plant worked 6 days a week, and I came in Sunday just to see what he was up to. 'Cause he – I would walk in, and we, h-, he had a file drawer for all of his paperwork that he wanted to either type or file or whatever, and he would have so much in there that he c-, he couldn't even close the drawer. So I would come in Sunday just to work on that. It was a very good experience because I learned a lot from him, um, about how the plant runs and everything, 'cause I was – it was basically, I was like his right-hand person. Not, not, not [throat clearing] production-wise, but just everything else. I really learned a lot about the business. And then my second, the second plant manager I worked for was Frank Shotters, who was just the opposite of, um, Chenoweth, um, he was, he was detail oriented but not to the point that Don was. Um, but Frank was very classy, um, he was a regional manager before he came here. He was equivalent to, uh, Doug [Tracey 9:05], and the reason why he was brought here is because in '85 when we merged, there was a lot of animosity between Fisher Body and, uh, Oldsmobile, and so they had to get rid of both plant managers, so Don Chenoweth was sent to one – another plant, and Mike [inaudible 9:22] on Olds' side was sent somewhere else. And then Shotters came in to blend us to get us to get along with each other, and talkin' about, speakin' about the union's side of it, um, there was a push by management to try to have the 2 unions merge, and Shotters said I'm not gonna do that. There's 2 entities here. We're gonna keep them separate. So his word was solid, um, and, uh, he was wonderful to work for, and you would never know if he had a bad session with his big bosses. He would always come in, and he was always even keel, he was always very cool with us. Ac-, he reminded me a lot of Ronald Reagan, when Ronald Reagan was in office, how cool and calm he was during everything and how he really, um, uh, knew how to work with people, an-, um, and then the third plant manager was, of course, Jim Zubkus, who was ex-, exactly the opposite of, um, of, uh, Shotters. Very outgoing, very outspoken. Sometimes could be brutal, but he never meant it, and that's the problem with Zub, is people misunderstood him. He really had a big heart. Really, and I really learned a lot from him, too. Then the last plant manager is Amy Farmer, and just the opposite again. I always say my job is dealing with personalities. Not the work. The work [banging] always has to be done, has to be done now. [banging] Not tomorrow, but now. And, uh, so all the bo-, j-, the job is the same, it's just the personalities change. You have to learn how to deal with each person. Amy is superb. I mean, she is, um, I think out of all the bosses, she's the best I work for. Because she had compassion. Um, not only the knowledge but the compassion, and she really accepted us for what we were. Not, you know, not like, um, you know, you're just a person or just a-, an entity. She really knew – she understood you and, um, knew what your capabilities were, but if you weren't doing your capabilities, she didn't have any trouble saying hey, [coughing] [banging] step up to this issue now. But I really loved working for her. So those are my 4 managers. Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Fleming. Michael Fleming: [11:26] When, when you talked about, um, Chenoweth and, um, [inaudible 11:29] was it? Barbara Rossi: Mm-hm. Michael Fleming: Those two were here, and they split. [11:36] At that time, did it just go to one manager for both sides? Barbara Rossi: Exactly. Michael Fleming: [11:38] Uh, could you talk about that a little bit? What, how did that, how did it work out? [inaudible 11:41] Barbara Rossi: It was tough. Frank, um, Shotters handled it well. I mean, he was a regional manager who had handled, like, 5 or 6 plants at one time. He had to come in and deal with a lotta animosity because everybody was bitter, you know? How come we have to consolidate, and that was a very hateful time. Um, and, he just knew how to work with people, and, and not that everybody would be happy with his decision, but they all understood it, and they all respected'm for it. Um, he had a sign on his, on his desk that said I will listen to all objections that you have to what I am going to do, but the final person that will make the decision is me. Meaning I will listen. He is fair. He – I watched him one time when there was a very touchy issue going on, and he changed his mind completely because of one person coming in and talking to him about it and showed him a different viewpoint. Very open-minded man. So yeah, he had to deal with a serious situation. Cheryl McQuaid: Doug Rademacher. Doug Rademacher: [12:38] Barb, would you tell us about the time you came in in '81 'til present and the, the amount of women to men ratio; has it changed, and did you like working for a woman plant manager over the men? Share about [inaudible 12:56]. Barbara Rossi: Oh, I liked them all. I, I, uh, I, um, Amy, you would only know she's a woman because she's – looks like a woman. As far as her attitude about work… [throat clearing] Barbara Rossi: …it's the same. Very ha-, driven person. A hard-working person. So I don't see the difference. I, I was really worried about her coming in because, ya, you hear all these horror stories about people until you actually get to know them. She is just the opposite of what I thought she would be. I thought she – 'cause, see, you always hear about women that make it to the top that they could care less about the women below them, they just will smash'm, you know? And she was not like that at all. She's – but I think an exception to the rule. I really do. I, um, not that I've dealt with a lot of women that have powerful positions, but just from what you hear, horror stories you hear from friends and all that, that women that get those positions, they just forget who, where they came from. And Amy never forgot where she came from. Ever. So I love working for her. As far as the ratio, it has tremendously increased. I think when Amy came in, then, then, um, uh, what's her name, Karen [Dealy 14:00] came in as the quality director. Then we had Pat [Greneville 14:03] that came in as the director of material, so, yeah, there was a big difference in management, I think, management level, getting more women in there. As far as ev-, all the rest of us, I think it's been pretty much even keel, f-, as women and men ratio, was pretty even keel. But as far as managers, big difference as the years went on. Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn Coulter. Marilyn Coulter: Um, Barb, coming from the office area, and Lansing's always been considered the capitol of quality. [14:35] What do you think about that, what do you think, um, we attribute that to? Barbara Rossi: We all care. We all take ownership for what we do. People don't get it – when I go somewhere else – I have, um, my husband's side, they're all from Detroit. They're all Ford workers, okay. They can't figure out, you have two unions, two assembly lines. They can't figure that out. Even Detroit GM cannot figure that out, you know, I have to explain to them what we are here, and I, and it's because we care. Um, we're smart, it's a smart workforce. Um, we, and we all get along. We-, not that we don't have our disagreements, but we all get along. And they, and nobody can figure that one out. It's simple. [laughter] Marilyn Coulter: Barb, um, this, a little bit away from the work thing. I know that we've done some things that are more or less some people-building things, some outside activities. [15:35] You wanna tell us about some of the activities you were involved in and some of the projects that we've done here in the plant? Barbara Rossi: What do you mean by, um, outside… Marilyn Coulter: Well, if I'm not mistak-, I know we've do-, we've done things like variety shows, and music shows, and things like that [inaudible 15:47]. Barbara Rossi: Oh, yeah. Um, this, okay, 1985 when we consolidated, um, Oldsmobile, [Town 15:54] Police in particular, brought over, um, a talent show that they did ever year. And, so, I wan-, and it was kinda like a selfish reason. I'm a dancer, so I wanted to learn about the other group. I wa-, an-, and what better way to get to know somebody when you socialize, because when they pe-, when people say when you go out with other people you work with, you know, wha-, how, what's the benefit of that. You get to see a-, another person in a different environment. And you really learn a lot about the person. So I thought, okay, I'm gonna join this group. Because I am a dancer, it's not a problem. And we opened and closed the variety show, the talent show. And, um, I got to know all the managers, and just, and it was just a really good experience for me. I had a blast. And, uh, and that's what was nicely brought, that human element into the plant, um, when we had those – the talent show. And that was just a lot of fun. We had a good time with it. So, I don't know what else, um, that's basically what I was involved with was the talent show. I don't know if there was other things you were thinkin' of, too. Marilyn Coulter: Didn't know what other types of things. [16:52] Did you guys have holiday parties, Christmas parties, you celebrate birth-, birthdays, any types of things like that [inaudible 16:57]? Barbara Rossi: Um, there, um, y-, we-, um, okay, you know how it is when you organize birthday parties. People go why do I have to give money, and blah, blah, blah. So I would always end up makin' the cake myself, bringin' it in, and then if somebody wanted to chip in for a gift, that was fine. I never pushed anybody because ya got some of the guys, and I'm not saying you… [laughter] Barbara Rossi: …some of the guys going I don't wanna spend that kinda money. The women, I never had trouble. I'm sorry, the women I never had trouble with. So that's why I just kinda, like, did it myself. But we always had a good time. I, I never forgot peoples birthdays. So… Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Fleming. Michael Fleming: I noticed you, you do do some things, um, um, personally on the outside. [17:37] You, you volunteer for, uh, the Diocese? Barbara Rossi: Yep, Diocese of Lansing. Uh-huh. Michael Fleming: What do you… Barbara Rossi: Um, there's, um, my husband, when I, I met my husband through, um, I, I went to a dance th-, through the Catholic church. And, uh, then, eventually when we got engaged and stuff, he was involved in this group over at, downtown at St. Mary Cathedral. And it's a group of people that are handicapped, either mental – mentally handicapped or physically handicapped. And in order to give the caregivers a chance to get together and, um, to have experts come in and talk about different fields about, um, their particular situation, what my husband and I would do is help, um, like, there'd be a pizza party for the, the handicappers, while the caregivers are off, um, you know, in their meeting. And, uh, then I also, because I do a lot of, um, of, uh, um, crafts, I would bring a craft in, and we would work on it together, like, build something that they could take home, and so I've been doing it for sev-, many years now. And it's just been a great experience. Um, and what makes it hard is you see the caregivers that are, like, in their seventies and eighties, and you worry about the people that they're caring for. They worry, will there be someone there to take care of their son or daughter. And this is really touching. One of the guys, he, he was so worried about his daughter because she, you know, he didn't know who would take care of her, who would the guardian be if he and his wife should pass away. Well, his daughter died suddenly of a brain tumor. And she, they did not know she had cancer. And I guess this is a very, uh, peaceful way to die when you have a, a brain tumor because you don't feel the pain. And so she died very peacefully, and he said here, here I was fretting over what, how this pers-, how I would take care of my daughter, and God ha-, already had it handled. Not that he wanted to lose his daughter, just the idea that, um, that He does provide. So I thought that was really neat. I mean, just a neat group of people. Michael Fleming: You mentioned your husband. [19:39] What does your husband do? Barbara Rossi: He works at Board of Water and Light. He works at the computer department there. So he runs all the computer systems. And I call him for help all the time. [laughter] [laughter] Cheryl McQuaid: Doug Rademacher. Doug Rademacher: Barb, you've got a lotta energy, and you, you said you took on the responsibility of baking the cake, putting some things together. I'd like to know about the recognition that was shared back to you. [20:07] Have you ever received any special, uh, uh, award or anything that you were recognized for the work you've done over the years? Barbara Rossi: I, you know, what a reward is for me is to tell me I did a good job. I don't like appraisals because I figure – tell me if I'm doin' something wrong, I wanna know. If I'm doin' something right, I wanna know. So I've always gotten, um, praise, um, you know, there's mo-, been monetary. We all get monetary awards when we do, you know, something that, li-, like, well, the last thing I did was, um, I worked on a project, um, I, I inherit-, I work in finance also, and I do the joint funds. Well, I revamped the whole system, and, um, Amy rewarded me with a monetary award, um, and it was, I was, I didn't expect it 'cause I was doing my job. And that's what I have a hard time with, you know, the suggest-, I know suggestions are good and all that, suggestion program is, but if you got a better way to do a job, you just do it, you know? You don't expect to be rewarded for it, the – but I do like it when I get a nice compliment because compliments cost nothing, okay. And they mean everything. And they're invaluable. And that's why I try, when somebody does something that helps me out, because when I call, people go oh, what does she want because uh, you know, eh, but see, I'm calling because the plant manager wants something done. And so I try to call back, when something's been completed, say thank you for helping me out with it, you know? Maybe sometimes I miss somebody, and I don't mean to. But I always try to let people know I'm very grateful for what they've done. It's – I think it's important. I think praise is, like, cost nothing. It means everything. Michael Fleming: Well, like, that, I was gonna… Barbara Rossi: Oh! Michael Fleming: …say, well I can say. Now I, I'll agree with that because [inaudible 21:52] gold stamps, and, uh, [inaudible 21:56], you know, pats on the backs, uh… Barbara Rossi: Yeah! Michael Fleming: …you know, any time you can give praise, it does, it does make a difference. Now we wanna talk about, um, your work environment, we, we touched on a little bit in your office. [22:14] Um, when it came to holidays and it came to the family environment i-, in your office, could you talk about the culture you had there? Barbara Rossi: It was nice. Yeah, I, um, very busy, very hectic. You never know from one moment to the next when it – all hell would break loose. But, um, you know, when things w-, something was, w-, th-, there was a crisis that had to be handled. But as far as respect with each other – 'cause you see, when you know somebody respects you, when the ma-, when you know the manager respects you, you can do a lot. And I never had that problem where, oh, you know, I don't trust her to do the job and all that. It was just like, here's a job, take care of it. And, uh, and, and, that's what i-, in fact, that was kinda like a compliment. I di-, I was gone for about 6 months on a temporary assignment for Zub where I went over to EDC West, and we had 10 people working with me on calling the customer and thanking them for buying, um, our Grand Ams. And I thought, why do I have to do this assignment, and then Jim Edwards, the quality control director at that time, said it's a compliment, Barbara, because Zub brought it up, and he said I need somebody to head this up, and they said we're busy. So let's give it to Barbara to do. So I never felt like I was demeaned in any way because I was a secretary. I was always treated with respect, and, um, an-, it was just, it was just a really good environment. And there, I'm no-, no-, not saying that there weren't hiccups here and there, but basically everything could work its way through, and we could get the job done together. Michael Fleming: The working relationship was great. [23:38] Talk about the parties, the Christmas parties, the Thanksgiving parties, uh, w-, di-, did you all do stuff in that environment that was outstanding that you can remember, uh, can you, can you think of one particular one, for example? Barbara Rossi: Um, well, I know with Chenoweth, he always had it at his house, which I thought was really nice. He and Laurie would put the party on, parties on there. And after that, it would be, like, at a different hotel or some-, stuff like that where it was very nice, and, uh, it was just nice to meet the spouses and get to know them, and because really, in a social environment, you get to know more about people and you, and you get to – there's like a special connection there. Not just in work environment but also in the personal environment, too. So, yeah, it was just, um, I really enjoyed all the parties I went to, um, i-, the retirement parties were a lot of fun. The last big one that we had was for [Wilkie 24:30] Hopkins, and that was real special. And each manager's different. 'Cause I would say what kind of a party do you want now that you're retiring? Do you wanna have a sit-down dinner? Do you wanna have, like, a gathering? You know, like a cocktail party, what would you like? So you always tr-, I always try to fit it to the personality of that person, what they would want. And it was just always a nice environment. Michael Fleming: On-, one, one more question I'd like to ask. Y-, you've been here for, oh twenty years easy. Barbara Rossi: Twenty-four. Michael Fleming: And, uh, GM vehicle. [24:59] What type of vehicles do you drive, and do you have a problem with your family driving GM vehicles? Barbara Rossi: No, no, none. Always been Oldsmobile. Um, my dad, we, well we now have a Pontiac, um, LeSabre because we look at the ratings of the cars and everything. And plus, I always look at the dealership, and Allison Buege over at Glenn Buege is, is always – they're impeccable. I, I get a lot of complaints about ca-, oh, not a lot. When I do get a complaint about a car, I remember who the service – who serviced that car, and I will not be goin' there. If i-, if there's, if it's a good, and I, and I, there's always been good, uh, rapport with Glenn Bu-, Glenn Buege's group, so that's why we have our LaSabre. And then the Jimmy truck that my husband has, we bought from Jim Zubkus. So [laughter] he, he drove it, his wife – and in fact, I wanted to make sure it was a good car. His wife came here for a meeting one time, and I, and I was looking out for her to let her in the, in the, um, into the building, and she was so cute. She walked i-, she didn't know I was watching her. She was walkin' around the car, checkin' it out to make sure it was okay. I thought, I gotta, I, I h-, must buy this car. [laughter] And that's why we have this Jimmy truck. Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn Coulter. Marilyn Coulter: Um, Barb, you live close, relatively close to the Fisher Body plant. [26:12] Um, were you originally from Lansing? Are you from… Barbara Rossi: Yes. All my life. Born and raised here. Marilyn Coulter: [26:14] Where'd you go to school? Barbara Rossi: Ca-, uh, St. Therese, uh, Elementary School, and then Catholic Central High School. Marilyn Coulter: Being a Lansing resident, um, what did you think about the Fisher Body plant bef-. [26:25] When you were a kid growing up here, did you have any, any contact with the plant back then? Barbara Rossi: I did not know Fisher at all, I, but I knew Oldsmobile 'cause my dad retired from 652. So I knew, an-, I, my whole neighborhood went to, s-, work there at Olds. Um, Fisher Body was just an entity I just would see. In fact, when I was teaching in Grand Ledge, I would be-, a gal used to live in the neighborhood here, and I would pick her up 'cause we carpool together, and we'd always drive by this big, green building, but I re-, I knew it was, I knew it was part of GM, but I didn't know exactly what we built. And I remember the fir-, when I first came here, okay, I'm thinking, all right, I gotta learn about this car. And so I'm thinking now, how does the body sh-, body shop relate to the paint shop to the trim shop, okay I'm going, okay, you gotta put the body together first, then you paint it, and then you trim it out. Then you ship it over to chassis. And that's how I remem-, remembered how, what this building did. So, yeah, but I really did not know that much about Fisher before I hired in. Marilyn Coulter: Um, one other question. We-, being here and being the fact that you're more or less on the salary side, [27:25] did you ever have to go to any strikes that were here? Barbara Rossi: Um, not really. The one day, I think it was what, about 8 years ago when Flint struck, and then we had to leave. I guess, um, I, the, I ne-, never had to cross a picket line if that's what you're askin' me. I never had to. And, uh, so I never had to go through anything like that. But I remember the day that we kinda struck, and I can't remember the exact date of it, but I'm just thinking, you know, I-, it's like everybody was like, they knew they'd be coming back, but it was, not like there was any animosity there or anything. The only thing that bugged me was the newspaper people always have to be around, and they, and I, I watched this one woman, she was a little, tiny reporter, and she had high heels on, and these, these, o-, and our guys were trying to leave, and she's following them down, clicking down the, uh, sidewalk trying to get an interview. And these guys are going get a-, get away from me, you know? And she's tryin' to get an interview. I'm just li-, and that's what bothered me the most, is how the local media deals with everything, you know? We knew how to handle ourselves here. And they were just, I just couldn't stand it that she was doing that to'm. That's the only thing I remember about that one little mini strike that we had. Marilyn Coulter: As we get ready to go through this decommission and you come through the building and it's all quiet and stuff and you don't have the hubbub of the people, [28:44] what's the feeling like now? Barbara Rossi: Sad. I re-, I'm gonna miss this place. I'm gonna miss the heritage that was here. 'Cause we are a good group of people here, you know, and it-, and it's like we're being sh-, uh, I don't know if you remember [Shirley Sanbourne 28:53], she worked in, um, in Engineering, and she said, you're bein' just thrown to the wind. And that's kinda like how I feel. Not that we're all not gonna land on our feet, but it's just kinda, like, sad to watch everybody go every which way. Marilyn Coulter: Mm-hm. Barbara Rossi: It's sad. Cheryl McQuaid: Doug Rademacher. Doug Rademacher: Barb, the, the work environment where you work has changed many times. We had, uh, payroll at one time, it disappeared. Payroll's come back, uh, departments… Barbara Rossi: Now we're goin' back again. [laughter] Doug Rademacher: …departments come and go. On the plant floor… [throat clearing] Doug Rademacher: …the workers consider themselves brothers and sisters. [29:32] does that environment exist in, up in the… Barbara Rossi: Yeah. We care about each other. Doug Rademacher: …in the main office? Barbara Rossi: Mm-hm. Doug Rademacher: [29:37] Do you, have you developed a friendship that's extended outside of this plant with you and your husband, from your, from your coworkers? Barbara Rossi: With – oh yeah, yeah, yeah. We, w-, um, there isn't anybody here that I, that I, you know, could not call, we could not tal-, I could not call and say, you know, I've got this problem going on, you know, an-, and it, it's just, in fact, personally there's been, we've had, there's, some of the coworkers and I have had some really heart to heart talks about personal issues, um, and it's just, it's just nice because we're not alone, you know. That's the one thing when you're goin' – like my mom's been very sick for the last two years, and she's in a nursing home, and it's, that, there isn't anybody that I could not talk to about it, like, Amy was just so wonderful with me through that whole thing. A-, we can all relate. We're not alone, you know, all the experiences we're going through, it's not the first time someone has gone through that, and if, w-, we gotta rely on each other and trust each other to help get through it. And that's why we're born on this earth, is to help each other. There's not no big secret, you know. That's what it's all about. Is to be – is to take care of each other. Michael Fleming: Um, again, you, you… Cheryl McQuaid: Michael Fleming. [laughter] Michael Fleming: …thank you. You've been here for some time, and as you were here through the three or four plant managers you've been through, there's been some name changes within the facility. Uh, we went to BOC, then we went to LCA, uh, now we're goin' to be LDT, uh, what, Fisher Body seems to ring out more than anything else. [31:04] Could you explain to us what you all call it in your arena and what, what you refer to it as? Barbara Rossi: This building, you mean? Michael Fleming: Yes. Barbara Rossi: Um, well, for me, what really got me going every time we change our name is – I order new stationary. And I said, nuts to this, so I just had an electronic form where I just have the GM logo on it, and then I can just change the name as it happens. For me. I can't speak for everybody else, but I still think of this as Fisher Body. For me, it will always be Fisher Body. [watch beep] Barbara Rossi: Outside world is Fisher Body, in fact, I love it when I call [canteen 31:40] when we would order dinners and stuff because they still have us down as Fisher Body, and I'll say, this is Barbara from Fisher Body wanting to take care of a charge, and, so, for me, I can't talk about the world, but for me, it's still Fisher Body. Always will be. The names mean nothing to me. [laughter] Those other names mean nothing to me. [laughter] Cheryl McQuaid: Marilyn Coulter. Marilyn Coulter: Barb, for anybody who was coming down into the front office to work and gonna deal with employees, [32:11] what's the best advice you'd give to them as far as [inaudible 32:14]? Barbara Rossi: Listen first. Um, I would get calls, you know, especially when there's something wrong with their car. I would get a call, and, and, I'm the last resort they're calling. They're upset, they're swearing, they're j-, and, so I just let them talk. And then once they're done talking, then they realize how awful they sounded, and I'll say, okay, I know you've g-, done this all, I know you've got paperwork showing that you've got this, you have this lemon of a car, um, you've got all that paperwork. Give me a copy. Let's see what we can do on our part. Because I said, we are, our d-, our customer is the dealer. It is not the person that buys that car. So, they, so the dealer, if they're not servicing that car – that's why service means a lot to me. If they're not servicing that car, all the plant can really do is say fix it. You know, don't give this person a hard time. Fix the car. There's enough documentation there to do it. So, one – and I get that, all that paperwork from the person, and then I would just say, okay, um, w-, w-, this is who I'm gonna give the paperwork to. It's usually the, uh, director of Quality Control. This is the person's phone number, and I'm gonna give all this paperwork to them. So there's a connect, they know that – where I'm gonna send it, they know I'm, that it's gonna be handled. Doesn't mean I'm gonna get the results that they want, but at least our plant will review it. And they will review it with the customer person that's in charge of, that works, the GM person that works ri-, wi-, like, Jay Stokes that works for Pontiac. He, he's, um, GM. He works with the Pontiac dealers. So that's what, what I do. So I listen first. The best thing is to listen first. [banging] What does the person need? Then see [banging] what you can do to help that person. Marilyn Coulter: [33:53] Do you find that that also goes over with working with the internal customers, being the employees on the line? Barbara Rossi: Oh, yeah. Everybody. Everybody. I mean, you gotta listen first. Find out wha-, wha-, what's goin' on. And another thing that would drive'm crazy too, [laughter] is somebody would come down upset about something. I'd say write it down. And they'd go, well, why do I have to write this down? I said because it organizes your thoughts. And then, 'cause when my boss gets it, my boss is probably not the person that's gonna fix it. It's gonna be who, who he or she gives it to. So if you gotta it all written down, your phone number's on there, and when you, w-, like, let's say it's, um, you know, something's not, you know – there's a heating problem out there. Just say if I don't hear back from you within a week, then I gonna take it elsewhere, you know, because if you put an end date on there when I'm gonna take action, then all of a sudden it's just, like, there's that due date on there. So that would drive everybody crazy, but I think that's the best way. When you organize your thoughts on paper, ya got it in writing, ya got your phone number on there, the date you brought it in, and then my boss can easily pass it onto whoever will handle it. [banging] So that's how I deal with problems. [laughter] Cheryl McQuaid: [35:01] Barb, do you have a favorite memory of this building, co-workers, that you'd like to share with us? Barbara Rossi: I have a lot. I don't even know where to begin. [laughter] Barbara Rossi: Um, boy. Well, I gotta, um, Betsy [Seezer 35:15], when I first, when Amy first asked me to take on [inaudible 35:18] financial work, Betsy was doing joint funds, and I'm not a financial person. I've only taken one accounting class, and I was just a mess. I could not even figure out what a debit or credit was. And I remember, I was, I would go home crying every night. And I said, Betsy, I just can't do this job. And she said yes you will. We'll, we'll get through it. And she helped me through everything. And I just, she means everything to me. She is a little pistol. Beautiful little redhead, but she is the best. And tha-, that's my f-, that's the thing that meant the most to me, um, as far as work – you know, there's a lot of other personal i-, things that have really meant a lot to me, but, I, you know, I'd rather not, you know, share those, but, um, but, as far as work, re-, uh, relationship, that was so nice of Betsy to help me through that. Cheryl McQuaid: [36:03] How about all of the different programs that you've seen come through? There was the Millionth Grand Am, the Best Launch Ever, were you a part of any of those? Um, did you enjoy them? Barbara Rossi: Not to the extent that Linda Johnson and John [Rosendahl 36:20] were, but if, if there was like, odds and ends that needed to be done, but there group was just outstanding. And what I loved about [Rosendahl 36:25] is, he's very calm because he's done this a, a million times, and you'd have managers that would be like chihuahua mode, like, well, did he do this, [banging] did he do that? And I said, John'll take care of it. Trust the group. And it was always done. So that's what I'll always remember about that, is that every launch, every, every big event that was done, was done outstanding because of the group that Linda wor-, Linda's group. And [Rosendahl's 36:51] group. Yup. Cheryl McQuaid: [36:53] Does anybody have any more questions for Barb? Male: I just wanna tell you that it's been a real pleasure… Barbara Rossi: Thank you. [throat clearing] Male: …and you, uh, we appreciate havin' you working for our organization and being a part of yours. Barbara Rossi: It was fun. Thank you. Michael Fleming: [inaudible 37:02] Thank you very much. Cheryl McQuaid: You've energized my day, I just love listening… Marilyn Coulter: Yes. [laughter] [inaudible 37:07] Barbara Rossi: You're welcome. [inaudible 37:10] /hj