MAY
2001
2001
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MAY
2001 |
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Challenge Met Story by Jennifer John
As Motor Trend magazine’s editors have said: “We drive each rig to hell and back.” And Chevrolet’s Silverado Heavy-Duty pickup--built by Local 598 workers at the Flint Assembly Truck Center--withstood the challenge and took top honors as the magazine’s 2001 truck of the year. The announcement was made in the magazine’s February 2001 issue. In selecting truck of the year, editors Scrutinized everything from engineering and safety to payload and performance. “The challenge was in front of our membership to build a quality world-class truck, and once again, we rose to the occasion,” said Doug Bellamy, president of Local 598, in Flint, Mich. UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker, who directs the union’s General Motors Department, said he remembers the fall of 1995, when the Flint Assembly plant’s fate was uncertain--until the union convinced General Motors to allocate new product to the plant. That product was the Silverado HD. “We take a great deal of pride in this award, and Local 598 workers deserve the recognition for doing such good work,” Shoemaker said. Other worker celebrations at the plant included a formal award presentation, Silverado displays and official proclamations from elected officials. In addition, a local NBC-affiliate dedicated a half-hour of prime time in March to honor the hard-working men and women of mid-Michigan. Mark Hawkins, Local 598 chairman, said that union and management collaborated with one goal in mind: customer satisfaction. Before the assembly plant was retooled for the 2001 Silverado, a handpicked group of hourly workers met with designers and engineers for 18 months mapping out the parts and processes involved. “The concepts were great, and the enthusiasm was high. We worked
on ease of assembly and making the product reliable,” Hawkins added.
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