Around-the-clock auto plant shifts good for economy, but what about workers?

Oct 23, 2009 (The Kansas City Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- F | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Last week, Ford Motor Co. went to a third shift at the Claycomo plant to crank out more of the strong-selling Ford Escape SUVs. In January, the General Motors Fairfax facility will add a third shift, producing the popular Chevrolet Malibu and the new Buick LaCrosse.

Factories running around the clock, workers producing goods that are in high demand. Job security.

That's good news for the Kansas City economy, especially with GM transferring nearly 950 workers to Fairfax from other idled plants across the country. Ford simply shifted about 1,000 Claycomo workers who had been building the F-150 pickup to the new Escape line.

But what is the impact of a third shift on the people working those hours when the body says it's time for rest?

Late-night shifts are not just an auto industry phenomenon, of course. From health care to industrial plants to retailers and call centers, the open-for-business light is increasingly staying on 24 hours as companies try to meet customer needs and compete globally.

"You have Wal-Marts and Walgreens open 24 hours, and you can buy things or pay your bills on the Internet at any time," said Bill Sirois, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Circadian, a Stoneham, Mass., consulting firm for companies that operate around the clock. "Given that we live in a technologically driven, global economy, it's become the norm to have people working at any time of the day."

By culling figures compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Circadian estimated that there are 24 million shift workers, employees that do a job that gets passed on to another employee working the next shift. About one-half of those work a regular shift, whether it's morning, evening or overnight.

The other half of employees are on rotational shifts, Sirois said, working days for a few weeks before changing to nights and back again.

"Some of us are night owls, but most of us are physiologically wired to be day creatures," Sirois said. "We are designed to peak during the day and evening hours, and to hibernate at night. So while running three shifts maximizes efficiencies, there can be safety and health issues that both employers and the individuals have to work to prevent."

Sirois said studies indicated people are most likely to make a mistake between 3 and 6 a.m., when most people are most inclined to sleep. The mistakes are due to inattention, lack of vigilance and slow reaction times.

Ford has tried to address potential workplace issues by having all three crews work four 10-hour shifts. The third shift works on a staggered schedule, working days on Friday and Saturday and nights on Sunday and Monday.

GM, on the other hand, will run three eight-hour shifts each weekday, with the third shift starting at 10 p.m.

The automakers say three-shift assembly plants are nothing new and have worked without quality or productivity problems in the past. Industry observers generally agree.

Including Fairfax, GM will be operating four plants with three shifts in the United States and Canada by April.

"The third shift is not a new concept, and we've done it in the past during busy periods," said GM spokesman Chris Lee. "It's really just an opportunity to maximize the capacity of a plant. It's an ideal solution when the plant's products are in high demand."

Jeff Manning, president of United Auto Workers Local 31, said he just hopes the Fairfax plant's third shift will be a long-term venture for GM, given that nearly 950 people will be uprooting their lives to live and work in the Kansas City area.

"It's great for the economy, but I just wish they could give us some kind of guarantee," Manning said at a recent meeting of labor and media representatives. "What if a year from the now the economy doesn't come back like everybody hopes it does? Will we keep the third shift?"

Another Local 31 union official said Manning's concern stems from the fact that GM historically has not maintained three shifts at any one plant for long periods.

"The difference this time is that we have fewer plants, and there have been a lot more shifts eliminated through plant closings than there are third shifts being added," said John Melton, the local's bargaining chairman. Melton and others have said maintaining quality will not be a problem with an overnight crew.

"That may have been a problem in the past, before automakers had sophisticated quality-control systems in place," said Art Wheaton, industry education specialist at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. "I don't think it's a problem with today's auto plants."

Productivity also is not a concern. Both GM and Ford's factories will produce the same number of vehicles per hour on their third shifts as the first and second shifts.

"I think the main issue with three-shift plants is when they can get the preventative maintenance done, whether it's on the weekend or during breaks," said Michelle Hill, vice president of Oliver Wyman, which produces the annual Harbour Report on the productivity of the automakers. "With auto plants increasing their flexibility and the ability to produce different models, I think you'll see more three-shift operations as capacity continues to be taken out."

But Ford's decision to go to three crews on the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner SUV was not without controversy. The plant went to the three-shift system for four months last year on the SUV line when gas prices soared and crippled pickup truck sales.

United Auto Workers Local 249 wanted to negotiate a different three-shift schedule this time, but ultimately no changes could be agreed upon, said local president Jeff Wright.

Wright said the third shift, known as the C-crew, works 10-hour days on Fridays and Saturdays and returns to work 10-hour evenings on Sundays and Mondays into the wee hours.

"It affects your body clock when you have to change your work schedule like that," Wright said. "It can be really brutal. We think it affects the quality of the products and the morale of our members."

But the bottom line, for the auto industry and its workers, is that a three-shift plant is a sign of prosperity.

"Two-shift plants are always worried about whether the company is going to cut a shift, particularly if their vehicle's not selling," said Gary Chaison, industrial relations professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. "So when a third shift is added, it's a very positive sign. It speaks well for the products that are made there as well as for the work force. Kansas City is lucky to have two auto plants with three shifts."

To reach Randolph Heaster, call 816-234-4746 or send e-mail to rheaster@kcstar.com.

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