Talent Pool

[forddieseldoctor]

Keeping an eye on this over on the boards:

 

 

Karim Miller

Classic Ford Lincoln of Columb

Columbia, SC

(803) 779-5977 Theres a sign in front of the dodge dealership across the street from this ford dealer. It has been there for no less than six months. (It reads) Wanted Techs of all skill levels. I asked the service manager why the sign was there? (by the way the dealer is one of the longest standing dealers in my area) His responce was all his techs quit because they could not make a living on doing nothing but recalls. Now being sceptical I investigated deeper. talking with one of the former techs found it to be true.

 

A few yrs. ago ford posed the uestion? WHY CAN"T WE GET MORE TECHS IN THIS BUSSINESS. Well look around FORD!!! I spend more time than ever now working on recalls than on customer pay jobs.I have gone from making 6 figure income to making almost half what it was 5 yrs ago! wake up and smell what your shoveling. Just on the door latch recall alone. Cut over an hour off the time. now lets say there is 1 million techs in the united states. and each one just lost an hour off each recall. thats i million hrs. per day taht ford is saving. now all the techs are complaining. So You come up with a incentive program to give 100 techs a $150.00 gift card a week out of 1 million techs. Thats $10,000 a week you give to 100 techs, but millions a week you save on recalls that you sent out with the labor times you came up with in the first place. We as master techs have to find a way to beat the times you come up with to make a living in the first place. and when we do, you come along with a video to constitute cutting time. this is a reminder of the EDSR days. paying techs $50.00 for showing you a faster way so you can cut our own throtes. How about this for a thought. You give all the techs in all the dealerships ford benefits, family insurance, paid vacations, UWA pay scale, and no weekends worked. try that on for size and ill work on anything you want me to. because at the level the dealers are giving us we can no longer afford to fix cars and jump through your HOOPS to DO OUR JOBS.

Wow. That pretty much sums it up.

[Matt Saunoras]

I had an interesting conversation with the boss on Friday which proved to me how out of touch he is with what's happening in dealership service departments.  He brought up the fact that in his Lincoln store the ASSET students turn 60-70 hours a week.  This was like a slap in the face to me.  Obviously I don't turn as many hours as a lube tech . He brought up that my hours are down which I can easily attribute to having no support in the shop.  It doesn't seem to matter though, the message didn't get through. 

 

No one seems to get it.  One example would be that my second bay has been tied up for 3 weeks with an E series 4R that grenaded.  I am not the one working on it however and the tranny isn't even out yet.  What the hell am I supposed to do?  I've been working smaller jobs on the flat in the drive lane. 

[jimmy57]

Things are not good here: http://jalopnik.com/striking-mechanics-say-dealership-left-their-tools-out-1797548330

 

I am unsure of Jalopnik's credibility but a co-worker from that area and the story is true according to him.

[Matt Saunoras]

It seems like the same story everywhere.  I asked my service manager today "why are the best technicians no longer in dealerships?"

 

He blurted out "flat-rate"

 

So if flat rate is the problem and technician shortage is a real concern then why aren't we offering something different?  It's because flat rate isn't the problem.  It's bad management and the "it is what it is" attitude.  I am not flat rate and I still can't take it anymore.  I am still questioned about efficiency and still treated like I'm stealing from the dealership.  More money in my pocket is going to mean less money in theirs.  That is not going to make things easier for anyone in the long run. 

[RyanG]

I read that article too. Pretty shitty to leave tool boxes out like that. I really do not think unionizing is the answer due to the simple fact that certain individuals will constantly abuse it. I know a lot of people may disagree but I think unions will bring in more headaches than everybody realizes. I would be fine to stay on flat rate but with a 40 hour guarantee. Going to hourly would be ok but it puts a cap on what you could possibly earn. As in the situation you describe Matt about all the bullshit you have to put with (babysitting, pulled off paying jobs, waiters etc). That's fine, management wants to run there service department like that but not at a technicians expense. I will go home at the end of the week with my guarantee.

[jimmy57]

I didn't post the article as union promotion though lack of care for the employees is where unions come from in most situations. If you are being treated well you need no union.

 

Flat rate is commission, commission is me no money-you no money in the eyes of dealer owner. FR needs the least management as workers will figure out how to make money.

Manufacturers will push down times and your dealer is the one to address that. They would fire or jail you for stealing jugs of oil but they will let unclaimed money get left on the table due to poor claim submission. They let money fly out the window when dealers do not take issue with factory pay that is unreasonable. If part return is required then the tech needs at least .1 hour as it ill take at least 6 minutes to do that on tech's part. The mark up allowed on parts never reaches techs and in the case of recalls the part prices gets cut to lessen the pass through payments anyway.  It is never OK to pay shareholders money robbed from the least represented in the process regardless that it is one of the most often used ways it is done.

[RyanG]

I understand promoting unions was not your intention and I agree with you. Its a blame game between the dealers and the manufactures but in the end we are employees of the dealer owners and they should be taking care of the employees. From what I have been told by one of our local ASSET teachers, Ford has basically told dealer owners and principle management that this is your problem and you need to fix it.

[Keith Browning]

I don't think it would be wise for any manufacturer to wash their hands of any responsibility or involvement like that. I maintain the position that poor product support WILL reflect on the manufacturer and subsequently they will suffer.

[mchan68]

Things are not good here: http://jalopnik.com/striking-mechanics-say-dealership-left-their-tools-out-1797548330

 

I am unsure of Jalopnik's credibility but a co-worker from that area and the story is true according to him.

http://jalopnik.com/why-2-000-chicago-mechanics-are-at-war-with-car-dealers-1797980272

[RyanG]

I have read a lot of articles pertaining to this issue and this is probably the most on point out of all of them. Thanks for posting this article. It came at a great time seeing as how pissed off I am about last week. Worked 50-55 and ended up flagging 28 due to parts ordering wrong part and being pulled off to look at waiters which kept me from completing other jobs. I'm really getting sick of this shit.

[Matt Saunoras]

I clocked 2 hours of overtime last week which was the first time in my life

[Alex Bruene]

I posted this on the Ford message board, but thought I'd ask here, because the information that comes from you guys is way superior.  ...  So, the SLTS directed repair video mentions the advancement of battery electric tools making us more productive... yada, yada, yada...  I don't own any battery electric tools, and don't have much intention to buy any, as I don't have much intention of wrenching for more than a few more years.  I also just spent a good chunk of change on a 34mm deep 12 point socket that I will never use again in my career once 17S15 is finished...  So, especially in regards to the battery electric tools, is there anything that lists what Ford expects us to have in our tool sets? 

[jimmy57]

The guy in the video I'm sure had to go take a shower after making the video. You can't talk crap like that and not feel very dirty afterwards.

[jw33]

I cringe every time I see or hear that stupid bastards name.

[RyanG]

You wanna cringe? Go on youtube and take a tour of his personal mustang collection worth 2 million dollars.

[Keith Browning]

The ebb and flow continues in my shop. Young guys coming in and leaving... one lured back to where he came from... others left to take a position with the DOT. One fellow left because of the sheer amount of warranty crap coming in the door. Two new lube techs started this week... the clock is ticking.

[fabfoes87]

I now know the struggles of finding good help in a shop. Six years ago I was at a Ford dealer.  I started there fresh out of tech school and was GREEN! First day after my internship, I broke a brand new starter on an f150. Must have been way too excited or nervous but I over torqued to the signal wire nut and the stud wasn't having any of that.  I felt like crap and questioned my right to be there.  But with some teaching, skill building, and some hand holding, I stuck it out and my knowledge base grew greatly.  I was employed there for 4 years and had a blast.  I look back at that job and can see how I grew not just a tech, but as a person.  Learning to patiently walk through a diagnosis, communicate about the problem and the solution, and use tools and shop practices correctly and safely.

 

It has now been six years since I was a Ford Tech and now I am a shop manager for a large ski resort. I currently have a crew of just two guys. We have a fleet of 13 snowcats, 25+ vehicles, 3 excavators, snowmobiles, ATVS and more.  When I left Ford I had no clue what I was getting myself into.  I had never touched a machine bigger than an F-550.  I started my career off as the bottom tech in a shop of 5.  I quickly showed my skills I had developed at the dealership and began to come into my own around a wide variety of equipment and pieces.  I would read shop manuals at home, call equipment manufactures while diagnosing  in the field and take on increasingly difficult tasks. Yada Yada Yada six years later I am now the shop manager.  Now I am looking for more techs to fill openings in my shop and finding it an increasingly difficult task.  Some guys talk a big game but do not hold up in a stress filled moment or unable to deal with the pressure of deadlines that hold up further resort operations.  But to be fair the wages at ski resorts do not tend to "break the bank". Its hard to find someone willing to work at x amount dollar wage and stand up to a large complex fleet and high demand from many departments. Oh and by the way "WINTER IS COMING" So I am more stressed and anxious than that time I broke that poor little starter on an F150.  

[jw33]

People are leaving our dealership at a alarming rate, we sell somewhere around 200 units a month, we are down to 4 tech's and 3 quicklane guys, with no one even coming in to interview, the owner is pissed because we can't keep up and take more appointments. The 4 of us have all about had enough, ford and it's dealers have created one hell of a mess.

[Alex Bruene]

I'm actually surprised the Mustang collection is still intact.