It’s Back to the Books for Some GM Workers
The last time Miles Smith sat in a classroom was 1953, when he was a high school senior in Pittsburgh, Pa.
But the 59-year-old former General Motors employee was back in class Monday with about 150 others who were laid off last week when the auto maker closed its Van Nuys plant.
The workers, among 2,600 employees who lost their jobs when the 45-year-old plant was shut down, are participating in a retraining program run by the car company and the United Auto Workers union.
“This is kind of new for me,” said Smith, who worked at GM for 29 years. “The books, the pencils and all these things, it’s kind of weird.”
For years, Smith assembled Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds. But on the first day of school Monday, his attention turned to multiplication and spelling--sharpening basic skills that will make him and other workers more attractive to prospective employers.
“We’re trying to prepare people for whatever comes up next in life, whether they plan to go to another GM plant or another company,” said Blanca Arnold, the UAW coordinator for the program, which is funded jointly by the union and GM and taught by teachers from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The UAW/GM Skill Center at the shuttered factory is one of about three dozen at plants around the country to train auto workers for other fields. After the union demanded retraining programs in the face of plant closings, about $30 million was set aside during contract negotiations two years ago. Laid-off workers who join the retraining program are given their full pay for the year they take the course.
On opening day Monday, many students expressed mixed emotions--still reeling from the plant closure, but cautiously hopeful about the retraining course.
“Our enthusiasm today is tempered by the events of last week,” UAW shop chairman Mike Ruppert said at a ceremony outside the plant. “It’s like leaving a funeral and going to a wedding. It’s hard to make that adjustment.”
A section of administrative offices has been turned into 12 classrooms complete with blackboards, overhead projectors and, of course, desks. A bank of computers running educational programs has been installed. Classes in reading, math and grammar run from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“We function just like a regular school,” counselor Yvette Cruzalegui said.
Although most of the GM employees enrolled in the Van Nuys program are looking to sharpen existing skills, school district consultant John O’Malley said some are pursuing high school equivalency certificates.
That can be tough at any age. The average age of GM employees nationwide is 46, meaning many have not been in an academic setting for up to three decades.
“It’s tough, but it’s doable,” said Larry Testasecca, who organizes the centers nationwide.
Despite her age, Felipa Garcia, 43, of North Hills is confident.
“I can speak English. I can read it. But I can’t write it,” said Garcia, who installed horns during her 19 years at the plant. “My dream is someday to write English. That’s been my dream since I came from Cuba in 1969. This is a very good opportunity.”
Garcia plans to become a pastry chef and has written a cookbook in Spanish. She wants to translate the book into English and market it.
“If I could see it in English in my own hand, I would be the happiest woman in the world,” she said.
