Chrysler Goes Bust

Well not quite – it’s gone into that strange American process called Chapter 11 or restructuring, where basically, as far as I can see, the company basically stops paying all those to whom it owes money and starts again with a clean sheet.

I could go on and on ad nauseum about the number of times I’ve had to try and get a deal when my American competitors were able to undercut me because their company had been through Chapter 11 but that’s not the subject of this blog – it’s about dear old Chrysler – my first employer.

I was about to leave school. University wasn’t an option, even remotely so, and I remember going for in-school ‘careers advice’. The Careers Officer gave me all of about 10 seconds of his time. ‘What is your favourite hobby’, he asked. ‘Fishing’, I said and was then given a booklet on trawler fishing. This was the sum total of my career advice! Pathetic!

Sometime over the next few weeks I noticed an advert in the main Glasgow newspaper. ‘Become a PET’, it said in large, blue bold lettering. It was advertising engineering apprenticeships with the Rootes car company, then one of the largest employers in Scotland.

I attended some interviews and then went on an outward bound selection weekend and ended up one of twenty bright-eyed and bushy-tailed apprentices at the huge car plant at Linwood, just outside Glasgow. I was a PET – a Production Engineering Technician – whatever that was!

Within weeks, Chrysler had bought out Rootes and, in one fell swoop, we all started working for our new American owners. It was all quite exciting and to some extent, glamorous. In those days (1968), there were few, if any, American employers in Scotland and the takeover promised fabulous new cars to be designed and built, and a new approach to labour relations – the plant usually worked maybe two weeks in four with the other time being devoted to that most British of pastimes – striking!  

But, and I’m sure this is not a surprise to you, it all ended in tears.

Chrysler built crap cars. They actually took over just as a Hillman Hunter had won the world rally and they never capitalised on that amazing success. They introduced an American looking ‘thing’ called the Chrysler 180 (see picture - it was so bad they didin't even give it a name!) which was huge by UK standards and just never sold. They never invested in the Hillman Imp which was almost as revolutionary as the Mini and that wonderful little car just drifted into history.

They weren’t much better at labour relations either. Ok, they introduced many innovative American management techniques but when faced with thousands of militant Scottish workers with a problem, they failed miserably. On quite a few occasions when the factory car park filled up with thousands of unsold cars and they didn’t want to make any more, they would instruct me to do something which would cause a strike, and I have to say I was pretty good at it. Speeding up the production line which (under union agreements) produced 60 cars per hour, to 61 or 62 cars per hour, would have the workers downing tools and heading off to the pubs. Similarly, removing all the little huts the workers would build beside the production line to rest in whilst they waited for the next car to arrive, caused an immediate walkout. So did removing all their nudie posters which adorned their lockers and cutting off the electricity to their ad-hoc kitchens. The result was always the same. ‘Right boys – everybody out’, was the cry and off they went.

It was an exciting place to work for seven years but eventually after completing my apprenticeship and getting a great job in the Industrial Engineering department, I was made redundant. As I left on the final day and walked the long walk down the production line to the HR department to pick up my final pay, I’m sure I heard quite a few of the workers cheering.

But despite the constant conflict with both management and unions, the disappointment at seeing the thousands of unsold cars every day and the final indignity of being told my services were no longer wanted, I have always had a soft spot for good old Chrysler.

Just a footnote that when we were in the US last year, our hire car was upgraded (long horrible story) and we were given a Chrysler Sebring convertible. On returning to the UK, I learnt that several motoring journalists had voted it the ‘worst car ever’!! Some things don't change!