I Was Going to Build Your Car, But Then I Got High

There will always be apologists for bad behavior. It happens in sports, politics, work etc. I mean all they did was smoke a fatty, shotgun some brews and DRIVE back to work. Then started working around machinery, yeah we should leave them alone...

Is this why our companies are outsourcing? SHAME SHAME SHAME

drburke - one significant difference is that it's both legal and culturally acceptable to drink beer (even on break) in Germany. With the exception of medical reasons, it is never legal to smoke marijuana in the United States. Moreover, I'm betting that the Union and corporate laws at Chrysler preclude any alcohol while on the job.

These idiots should be fired with prejudice. No if's, and's or but's...

Porsche makes dreamy cars with incredible engineering and a racing hertiage to match. I doubt there are beer carts at their factories.

Chrysler makes crapy cars, that's why they needed a bailout from all of us. See the difference...

Where I worked, employees were fired for using the internet. The company is paying you to do the work that the company needs to get done. State laws allow for breaks during the day, but while you are on the clock you MUST be doing the company's work.

Seems simple to me.

Most of the problem is that young workers think they are entitled to do anything they want. Sorry, but we have not reached the 23rd Century and the Star Trek no-money, no-jobs Utopia.

throwback, good catch on the workers driving in that condition. That does explain the noise the rental dodge made though.

"and the terms of the collective bargaining agreement "

Gotta love unions

"but I seem to remember that Porsche assembly line workers - and possibly those at other German automakers - were treated to beer carts"

And thus the stunning fit and finish they had for so long

@ cjasis

Well said. Very well said.

BodyBlue, hope your Dodge wasn't built by a pothead! In any case, if there are any problems with vehicles, I can see the lawsuits pouring in already...

If Chrysler had nearly the same reliability and built quality as Porsche, I'd say bring on the beer carts. But they don't. These guys should be canned (pun definitely intended). Chrysler needs all the sober labor it can get.

and arguments about the right or wrong of it aside, how stupid do you have to be to do that when you know the local news people are on the lookout for it to use for their next 'national' headline.

I see a great opportunity for a Saturday Night Live skit spoofing the old Ford commercials where they'd show the assembly line people crossed with Cheech & Chong to make the Dodge assembly line.
'doooood, that's the grill mannnnnn. It goes on the front of the car'
'no waaaaayyyyyy, it goes on top, otherwise the burgers will fall off when you cook em'

There are definitely no beers carts strolling down the aisles at a factory in Stuttgart. Have you seen inside Porsche's factory, its nearly a clean room! In the cafeteria, probably. But drinking one beer and shotgunning multiple 24oz bud-lights is a different activity. Smoking weed on top of that just adds to the stupid.

I'd never try to argue that one pint of beer effects someone's judgement or motor skills in any coarsely measured way. If you ingest one with lunch you could still operate equipment and do your job to its full capacity. But when you binge drink and get high for 30 minutes you are no longer sober and are now a liability to everyone around you at the plant. Its plain stupid. If you can't stay sober long enough to complete a shift at an assembly plant then you're not fit for that job. Give it to someone who cares.

I knew I was right about beer in the Porsche factory.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/602648-911s-still-hand-built.html

Scroll down to the seventh post.

If the link doesn't work, just google "Porsche factory beer" and it'll turn up

drburke, did you miss the part where the poster notes it was in the 1970's? Times have changed in the last 30 years.

Avengers are assembled at Sterling Heights, the Engines at this plant.....I wonder if one of my pistons says "Coors" on the side!

I have had no problems yet however but I hardly ever drive it. I have wiped out the same loser in an old 5 series a couple of times up to the speed limit now. He either has a very short memory that a Redline 2 Avenger cleans his clock every time or he just likes to be made a doof of.

I'm willing to bet any large manufacturer of any product has some drugged out losers. We just happen to be picking on Chrysler.

oh sure, brn, start talking logically about it.

Very good point though. I've worked with plenty, although I can't think of any that did it at lunch.

Can I ask everyone, what was their image of the average assembly plant long-termer? Did this really change anything?

What if you found out the guy who makes your burgers gets high on his break? People will boring dead-end jobs do this kind of stuff. That doesn't change quality control measures that are there even if a sober worker screwed up. Stop giving in to the sensationalists.

I don't support what these guys are doing here, and its good they will end up fired, but looking at the comments some of you sound high the others need to get off your pedestals

Hell, I sometimes have a cocktail at lunch. There's a big difference compared to getting stoned and drinking a six pack in a parking lot. Car buying is a lot about brand perception. And this dirtbag redneck culture that the UAW has permitted to exist is one reason I won't touch a Chrysler or many other domestic cars. Compare the people who assemble Chrysler vehicles and those at any German or Japanese assembly plant. UAW workers just don't seem too bright. I don't know what it is. Maybe they all live under massive power lines?

Heres one more, does anyone know how many members the UAW has? So because on video 20 of them are caught doing something against the rules we are supposed to damn the entire group?

Its bad when people use a stereotype to apply to a group, its far worse to use a far minority.

I thought it was rediculous that the UAW "wasn't aware of what was happening" in their own parking lot. The union has just become more a culture of blindly defending/promoting workers with no regards to whether or not the employee deserves it. How embarrassing for Chrysler. Twice in less than a year.

The beer carts at Porsche were sanctioned and overseen by Porsche management. These guys are getting lit on their break. Big difference. Especially for an organization that just got bailed out by us tax payers.