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September
11, 2002
My
fellow workers,
Nice
Ball Bearings recently turned 100 years old!
Unfortunately we’re not doing as well as some people would like, but
this isn’t news to you - it’s a fact the Company likes to remind us of on
a daily basis. What they aren’t so quick to point out, however, is the
fact that you and I have virtually no control over the factors that have led
to this situation.
Insufficient
Manning
- Fewer
employees running more machines
- Excessive
amounts of overtime
- Need
for engineering and management personnel to do bargaining unit work –
even when the entire plant is on 12 hours
Lack of Supplies
- Essential
materials such as steel, tooling, grinding wheels, etc.
- Sundry
supplies such as shop rags, diapers, etc.
Excessive
Down Time
- Lack
of an effective preventative maintenance program
- High
number of set-ups vs. low number of certified set-up personnel
- Operators
waiting for work
Quality
Control
- The
most demanding tolerances in history of the Company - not a problem in and
of itself, but an important contributing factor
- Reduced
overall quality support coverage
- Significantly
increased operator responsibility for quality control
- A
“coincidental” increase in serious quality issues
The
aforementioned issues put us at risk by jeopardizing business. And in the face
of that risk we struggle to meet both a budget and production schedule that
fail to take these factors into account. For our part, we see what’s going
on. Our Union has frequently offered advice – advice that just as frequently
falls upon deaf ears. As we approach the upcoming contact negotiations the
Company needs to understand that while we will continue to work cooperatively
to rectify this situation, we can neither take responsibility for, nor pay the
full price of, their apparent inability to effectively manage Nice Ball
Bearings.
In
solidarity,
John.
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