Ford workers relocate from Virginia plant to Michigan
photo <http://cmsimg.freep.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C4&Date=20070323&Category =BUSINESS06&ArtNo=703230339&Ref=AR&Profile=1002> (AMY LEANG/DFP) Alton Hill, 37, performs a final electrical inspection on a Ford F-150 pickup at Dearborn Truck Plant on Thursday. Hill is one of 346 workers who relocated from the Norfolk, Va., Ford assembly plant, which is closing soon. He came north to work and live in January. March 23, 2007 BY SARAH A. WEBSTER FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER Eating lunch in his blue jumpsuit and "Motown" baseball cap, John Spruill, 43, looks like any other autoworker in the gray cafeteria at the Dearborn Truck Plant. But when the new addition to the plant's paint shop starts talking, the Southern accent is unmistakable. Spruill quickly confesses he is homesick for his wife and three young children, who are still living in Virginia. "You got to do what you got to do," he said, explaining why he moved to Michigan from Norfolk to keep his job with Ford, along with hundreds of fellow autoworkers. While thousands of Michiganders have been leaving the state in search of employment -- largely as a result of a job crunch in the auto market here -- several hundred like Spruill have been forced to move here in recent months to keep their jobs. Ford Motor Co.'s Way Forward restructuring plan, which is closing 16 factories and eliminating 44,000 jobs, has hundreds of workers being shuffled around from plant to plant to fill in gaps created by departing workers and changes in production schedules. Recently, Dearborn Truck, which builds several pickups based on the F-Series line, welcomed 346 new autoworkers, courtesy of the Norfolk Assembly Plant in Virginia. That plant, which also built the F-150, will be closed in June as part of the goal of returning to profitability in 2009. The automaker posted a record $12.7-billion loss last year. The Norfolk workers who signed up for the move to Dearborn are taking the place of fellow UAW members who decided to take buyouts and leave the company. They're also needed as Ford prepares to add a third production crew at Dearborn Truck, the crown jewel of the $2-billion Rouge Complex. The environmentally friendly truck plant can build nine models off three platforms, but it has never been used to its full capability. The new shift will keep Dearborn Truck running on the weekends. In the past, weekend visitors to the plant, which is part of the Ford Rouge Factory Tour at the Henry Ford, rarely got to see F-150s being built there. "We're all excited about that," said Rob Webber, plant manager at Dearborn Truck. In a few more months, another 500 or so workers will be moved to Dearborn Truck from other Ford plants that will be idled, such as the Wixom Assembly Plant. The influx of new workers from Norfolk and other locales has made Dearborn Truck a sort of melting pot among Ford plants. Because the plant only opened in 2004, the workforce has been assembled over the years with workers from more than 30 current and former Ford factories. "All of us are here because a plant closed," Webber said. Despite the friendly plant culture there, the recent management moves have brought new life changes and challenges to hundreds of Ford workers, who are taking on new duties and being moved into different positions. Many say they are also dealing with the sadness of leaving behind longtime coworkers, plants and jobs. Spruill, who has 19 years with Ford, isn't sure whether he'll bring his family to Michigan. He sold his family's home and his wife and kids moved in with his mother-in-law. Meanwhile, his wife, who had 11 years at Ford, recently took Ford's educational buyout offer and will go to school to prepare for a new career. Like others whose lives are split between two states for the time being, Spruill spends considerable time pondering significant decisions about finances, living arrangements and lifestyle. "I'm not sure yet exactly what we're going to do," said Spruill, who has never lived away from his extended family in Virginia. "It's my first time away from home in 43 years. ... I'm going to try and go home once a month." He's currently living in an apartment in Van Buren Township with several Ford workers, including his 45-year-old brother Michael, who is also a displaced Ford worker from Norfolk. He's now working on the chassis line at Dearborn Truck. Despite the heavy decisions, Spruill said he has it easier than some displaced workers. "A lot of people still have their house on the market," he said. LaDonna Smith, 38, who worked at Ford's Norfolk plant for 14 years, bought a house in Livonia and has been trying to sell her home in Chesapeake, Va., since November. She's a product specialist in Dearborn now, preparing for the launch of the new 2009 Ford F-150. "I might have to rent it," she said of her Virginia home. Smith has two children, ages 4 and 7, and said the biggest adjustment in moving to Michigan is the lack of child care. She and her husband miss the support system of nearby family. "That's probably the worst part," she said. For a long time, Smith thought about taking one of the generous buyouts Ford offered its hourly workers. Ultimately, though, she decided it wasn't time to go. Her father worked for Ford for 34 years, and she's committed to the company, even though she's only a few classes short of a master's degree in education. "I'm not quitting," she said. "I believe in the company or I wouldn't have moved up here." Contact SARAH A. WEBSTER at 313-222-5394 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] . StoryChat ________________________________ Dearbored Fools. Leaving Virginia and coming to Michigan is like leaving your wife of 20 years for an 80 year old woman. Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:32 am ________________________________ Nick-DeLeeuw Tough situation. Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:02 am ________________________________ cabdriver Did I read that right, thirty [30] plant closings? So much for the "we're doing better" "everything is great" "homeownerships is at record levels" "NAFTA will be good for Americans" ect... for the last couple of decades! I wish my fellow rust-belters the best of luck. Crying or Very sad <http://forums.freep.com/images/smiles/icon_cry.gif> Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 7:58 am ________________________________ rgood43 Over 900 of us transferred from Lorain, Ohio to the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky in 1997 when they were getting ready to close the Lorain Assembly Plant. It's an adjustment, but at least I got to move in the right direction. We could have went to the Flat Rock Plant at the same time. For myself, Ohio winters were bad enough, I wasn't really looking forward to Michigan winters. Lake effect snow can really pile up. That will be the hardest thing for people from Virginia to get used to. They had better learn to drive in the snow!! Good luck and best wishes. Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 7:25 am ________________________________ stevelaw You transfer guys are going to find that if you have a job, or an independent income source, aside from the super high taxes, Michigan is a great place to live. Just remember to register to vote. 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