Order status "Echoes Of Norwood"

[ban617]

Just ordered one last nite

[festival]

I just selected the video producers that will be doing the official plant history documentary. Yes there will be an upcoming film documentary on the Norwood Plant and its history making operations.

In the tradition of film documentary work pioneered by the likes of Ken Burns- the finished film work will likely appear on either Speed, or the Discovery family of networks when complete.

Filming and interviews will begin at the reunion. I am thinking that if you need a display example for how a car was built then the display cars will provide ample backdrop for the stories of what it was like to build them.

The need for top quality cars is confirmed.  The producer is looking for the finest restored cars and significant original examples to use for discussion point examples.  If you have a car that you would like to enter at the Norwood built exhibition display drop me a PM.   

[Mike S]

 I received this book for Fathers Day today and must say it is very intersting reading. Not just about the "F" body but the history of the Norwood plant through the decades.
So now it's clear why the trim tag was painted white by the Chevy workers and why the practice was discontinued after 67. But the intersting thing is stepping back and looking at the whole picture as to what else was going on at that time to understand the trim tag spraying was just a small part of a larger technology vs. blue collar picture. I found the Application 35 interesting also and how a car can have an engine installed past the body tag date. Audit and demerit system, etc.....
  This is great reading!

Mike

[Ron C.]

I just selected the video producers that will be doing the official plant history documentary. Yes there will be an upcoming film documentary on the Norwood Plant and its history making operations.

In the tradition of film documentary work pioneered by the likes of Ken Burns- the finished film work will likely appear on either Speed, or the Discovery family of networks when complete.

Filming and interviews will begin at the reunion. I am thinking that if you need a display example for how a car was built then the display cars will provide ample backdrop for the stories of what it was like to build them.

The need for top quality cars is confirmed.  The producer is looking for the finest restored cars and significant original examples to use for discussion point examples.  If you have a car that you would like to enter at the Norwood built exhibition display drop me a PM.   

can you give me more info on when this will happen and if my schedual permits I might be interested in sending a pic of my white 67 Z/28.It won gold bowtie at carlile in 2009.

[festival]

Thanks Mike.. Glad you like it.

Ron,

The event is called the Norwood Gathering and it is part of the Norwood all Plant employee reunion of both Salaried and Union represented employees that worked at Norwood full time.    The Gathering is an exhibition showcase of cars all buit at Norwood, and displayed in a stylized Concours d'Elegance format.   

The display is inside the Norwood GM employee parking Garage that was built in 1969.  All cars are under cover for the event.  The All plant reunion of factory workers is held in the same location on the same day as the Gathering.

I posted links to the event in a reply on page 1 of this thread...please have a look.

[festival]

No i did not post links... Sorry about that..  Info on this year's event and info from last years event too:

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/522265/2013_Norwood_Assembly_Plant_Re#Post522265

http://camaropacecars.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6211035326/m/8471083536

http://camaropacecars.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6211035326/m/9611056646

[KurtS]

So now it's clear why the trim tag was painted white by the Chevy workers and why the practice was discontinued after 67.

I understand the book credits employee resistance to the new broadcast sheets. But the broadcast sheets had been in place since 1966 model year and the tag was for the Fisher side - the broadcast sheets were for the Chevrolet side.
Early 68's also have white tags. But it was not done consistently in 67 or early 68.

[Mike S]

Hi Kurt,

    The tag painting looks to be part of a much larger picture of worker discontent due to a number of factors unfolding at that time ranging from the introduction of new manufacturing processes, new car line (Camaro) introduction (and along with new Camaro RPO’s codes?) plus the consumer demands for the new Camaro that led to increased worker work load to keep up with production pace. The fact that the painting was not done on every tag shows, IMO,  it was more of an employee visual aid method and possible show of union “protest” to work conditions  and even a resistance to the new broadcast change which they felt was more complex especially with the older workers. Sure, the broadcast sheets began in 1966 but reading the book shows a lot happening around that time to place more demands on the production line workers that eventually led to the Jan 1967 strike.  I don’t think it matters when it was done (Fisher vs. Chevy side) but more of why it was done.
  As for appearing in 1968, it may have likely been a carryover practice until the workers realized that the trim tag option codes were no longer printed (to force the issue of using the broadcast sheet) and also the Firebird was slated to begin production at Norwood in 68 (page 102 explains this more clearly).
  If anyone has better explanations then feel free to contribute. I’m not plugging the book but it sure does shed light on a much broader picture to see why decisions were made and why things happened the way they did.

Regards,
Mike

[Mark]

There was no major strikes at Norwood until the 174 day long strike in 1972.  There was autohorized strikes in late 68  (after April) around the GM system at 5 plants (Lordstown, Van Noyes, Framingham, St. Louis and Flint).  These were the result of GM's effort to speed up production acroos the lines.  Norwood was not affected.  The firebird did not come over to Norwood until April 19th 1969.  there may have been plans to bring it over earlier, but it didn't happen, and it finally happened becoause of the reconfiguration of the line needed to begin production of the Vega at Lordstown, and the coming new body style of the Camaro and Firebird for the 1970 model year.

[Petes L48]

The display is inside the Norwood GM employee parking Garage that was built in 1969. 

Where's the garage located?  My daughter lives in Cincy and I've always wondered where the plant was, and if anything remains. 

[Mike S]

Hi Mark,

    Per the book, there was a Fisher Body strike by Local 674 that lasted 23 days from Jan to Feb 1967. This resulted in layoff notices being issued for the Chevy side because no bodies were not being produced. Major or not, this did have an effect on Norwood output. There were also 2 additional "protest" strikes in 1968 that lasted 24 hours each by the same union.  Small yes but it still impacts production.
   As for the eventual move of the Firebird, the book too stated it was slated to begin in 68 but as you pointed out it started much later. I was merely referring to the tag painting practice when it stopped in early 68.

Mike

[Mark]

Early is a relative term, they have been seen as late as November 68 intermittantly (45 years later its hard to tell exactly how many were painted white originally).  If it took the Union guys that long to figure out the options weren't on the tags anymore, what does that say?

23 days would mean there was a loss of almost 20,000 cars at capacity, the January and February 67 published VIN numbers do indicate a loss of about 14,000 cars, so something must have been going on in that time frame.

[Mike S]

   Late 1968? That seems to go against the grain from what I have always seen reported which was early 68. Like you said, who knows what happend back then.
From what I have read, and think I understand, is the daily production output varied depending to a degree on the "RPO option contents" to deviate from the theoretical output. So, perhaps that would explain the differences between what was produced vs. what capacity was capable of.

Mike

[Mark]

I'm sorry that's November of 67, 4 months into the 68 production time, November of 68 would have been into the 69 model year.  Norwood worked at 912 cars a day every day on a two shift schedule.  No variations in speed for option content, only mechanical equipment, or personnel failure (injury) that was what the later strikes at the 5 other facilities, and ultimately the 174 day strike at Norwood was all about.

[KurtS]

25 Jan 67 - Norwood on strike.
20 Feb 67 - Norwood strike ends.

I believe the white tags were to highlight the data. I can't see that as a protest. It did go against Styling intent (firewall blacked out), but there were other marks left on the firewall sometimes. The tag data was only used on the Fisher side and the UIOT was attached to every car body and it was much larger.
The broadcast sheets were for the other side of the wall - it was not related to the Fisher tag codes.

The line speed was constant - it could not be varied. All or nothing.