it's tomorrow! - UAW-Chrysler.com

Looking ahead at the uaw-Chrysler National Training Center
summer 2013
Volume 12 • Number 1
www.uaw-chrysler.com
WCMA makes
mark as learning
lab foR real world
Frank Kidd
Inside Tomorrow
On Ramp 2
General Holiefield
and Al Iacobelli welcome
the return of Tomorrow.
Cruise Control 3
Tuition Assistance Plan helps
the learning continue.
Real People 6
Dynette King carries
on the family tradition.
In the Loop 8
Help us honor our military
family members this year.
Online
Tomorrow Extra
is coming soon!

On Ramp
Side by side
UAW Vice President General Holiefield (left),
and Chrysler Vice President Alphons Iacobelli.
Tomorrow is back! After an absence
of more than five years, the National
Training Center’s quarterly employee
publication resumes its mission of keeping
open lines of communication with UAW-
Chrysler workers.
Tomorrow returns better than ever,
with a refreshed look and a new online
edition called Tomorrow Extra that enables
us to share more information, more often.
And, we’re proud to announce that our
lineup will include a 2013 Veterans Day
Special Issue to honor Chrysler Group
employees who have been in the U.S.
Armed Services and those who currently
serve in the National Guard or Reserves.
Since Tomorrow was last published in
November 2007, the UAW and Chrysler
have joined with Fiat SpA to overcome
unprecedented adversity and transform
the company into an industry leader.
We did so by collaborating to achieve
sustainable success, driven by our new
World Class Manufacturing (WCM)
culture. The NTC plays a vital role
in this turnaround by supporting the
UAW-Chrysler WCM Academy, which is
featured in our cover story.
The best is yet to come for the UAW
and Chrysler Group as we continue to
reinvent ourselves, adapt to change – and
do it together.
Buy what we build
When it came time for Rodger
Sutek to look for a new car,
he didn’t have to search very
hard. Working at Belvidere (Ill.)
Assembly, he knew his next
car would be a Dodge Dart.
The UAW Local 1268 member
assembles doors on the
new Dart.
“I treat every car as if I was
building it for myself,” said Sutek.
“All of my friends know I drive
a Dart that I built, and it’s just
awesome. None of my friends
will ever have the experience of
building their own car
from scratch.”
Sutek, who splits driving time in
his 2013 Dart Limited with his
wife Karissa, especially likes the
handling capabilities of the car,
Rodger Sutek and son
William think the new
Dart is pretty cool.
along with its stylish good looks.
The couple plans to take it to the
racetrack this summer to run in
sanctioned autocross events.
“Knowing the Dart is something I
can drive and everyone else can
drive makes me like my job even
more,” he says. “It’s not like I’m
building something I will never
see. I see them all the time and
actually look for them on the road
when I’m driving. It’s pretty cool.”
Sutek always encourages family
and friends to check out the Dart
and has convinced one friend to
purchase a Dart Rallye. And he’s
confident that the pride he shares
in the car he builds will rub off on
others and produce even more
Dart sales in the future.
Build it, boost it!
The Chrysler Employee Advantage Program gives you the opportunity
to increase sales of vehicles you build while helping eligible family and
friends purchase or lease a new Chrysler vehicle with
healthy discounts.
Each discount program offers a percentage
off factory invoice on most new Chrysler,
Jeep®, Dodge, Ram and
FIAT ® vehicles.
For more information on the
Chrysler Employee Advantage
Program, visit www.ea.chrysler.com.
2
tomorrow sUMMER 2013 www.uaw-chrysler.com

Aletra Johnson
UAW-Chrysler Tuition Assistance Plan
opens door to self-improvement
By Tony Veneziano
It’s never too late to go back to
school. Just ask UAW members
Aletra Johnson and Kenneth
Keesee. Each has been a Chrysler
employee since 1999 when,
coincidentally, they were hired just
three days apart. Both are taking
advantage of the UAW-Chrysler
Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP) to
further their educations and careers
with the company.
Johnson, 45, who is a Machine
Operator at Marysville (Mich.)
Axle, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree
in business management at Baker
College. TAP has helped her cover
the cost of six classes to date.
To help juggle a full-time job
with higher learning, Johnson takes
some classes online, allowing her
to schedule studies around shifts
at the plant. The UAW Local 961
member used TAP while earning
Kenneth Keesee
Lifelong learning
an associate’s degree in computer
information systems.
“The Tuition Assistance Plan is
very important because school is
expensive,” says Johnson. “I want
to move up within the company;
that’s what motivated me to go
back to school. TAP helps you get
an education and better yourself,
which is important in this day
and age.”
Keesee, 52, an Industrial Waste
Treatment Operator at Indiana
Transmission Plant I in Kokomo,
is well on his way to earning his
bachelor’s degree in engineering
technology at Purdue University
College of Technology, Kokomo.
He has a full plate, having taken
five classes in the Spring 2013
semester. He anticipates graduating
May, 2014.
A UAW Local 685 member,
Keesee made the dean’s list in each
of the last three semesters and also
was named an Outstanding Student
each of the last two semesters
in the engineering technology
program. His ultimate goal is to
become an engineer, represented by
UAW Local 1302.
“If you have the time to put into
going back to college, the Tuition
Assistance Plan is a great benefit,”
says Keesee. “The only thing it costs
you to go back to college is the time
that it takes to work at it. I think
it’s worth it. TAP will hopefully
allow me to move forward and do
something to help Chrysler and
contribute to our growth.” ■
UAW-Chrysler Tuition
Assistance Plan
Who is eligible?
• Active UAW-Chrysler employees
who have achieved seniority
• Active UAW-Chrysler employees
on temporary layoff
• Active UAW-Chrysler employees
on military leave of absence
What benefits are offered?
• $5,000 per calendar year for
approved job-related, degreeseeking
courses at nationally
and regionally accredited
institutions
What is the application
process?
• Log on to Dashboard Anywhere
(dashboard.chrysler.com), go to
the Development Channel and
click on Tuition Assistance
Plan (TAP).
• Click on the Online System link
on the TAP page.
• Complete TAP application.
• Approved vouchers or denial
notifications will be emailed
directly to the employee.
For further
information, call:
586-427-6757
Cruise Control
www.uaw-chrysler.com summer 2013 tomorrow
3

cover story
WCMA Stands
as a Pillar
of Success
for UAW-Chrysler
By Greg Pawlowski
Photos by Frank Kidd
T
he
days of paying lip service to the idea that people are Chrysler’s most
valuable asset are over. No longer is the cookie-cutter approach to job
training in vogue. And no longer is training done just for training’s sake.
Welcome to the UAW-Chrysler
World Class Manufacturing
Academy (WCMA), where
employees are learning the mindset
and practical skills that foster
innovation, problem-solving and
continuous improvement at their
facilities.
Unique in the auto industry,
the academy symbolizes the new
day at Chrysler Group LLC. It
has quickly become a driving
force in implementing the World
Class Manufacturing system as
the catalyst for the company’s
dramatic turnaround.
“The academy uses a modern
approach to learning with job
simulation and real-world, handson
training to teach the WCM
operating system,” says Scott
Tolmie, WCMA lead from Chrysler.
“It’s about rigor and pace. It’s about
applying what students learn back
on the job.”
It’s also about resilient workers
who are open to reinventing
themselves, says the UAW’s Gary
Reid, WCMA co-lead. “This would
not be successful without the
commitment and support of our
unionized workforce. We have the
best workers in the world because
of our dedication and our ability to
adapt to changes.”
Since it opened in January, 2012,
the academy has trained more than
5,000 people, from vice presidents
and plant managers to local union
presidents and production workers.
It has drawn visitors from other
companies and other countries as far
away as Russia. And it has received
national accolades as a state-of-the
art learning laboratory.
But, most importantly, the
25,000-square-foot academy in
Warren Mich., has become an
extension of the shop floor, a userfriendly
place where students learn
how WCM reduces waste, increases
productivity and restores dignity to
workers. Unlike past training, the
typical two-or-three-day experience
at the academy is devoted to
addressing specific needs within
a plant.
4 tomorrow summer 2013 www.uaw-chrysler.com

Training targets such issues as
unsafe working conditions, poor
product quality or bottlenecks on
assembly lines. In fact, much of the
material in the WCMA’s 34 courses is
created with input from plants based
on their needs, while stressing the new
operating system’s integrated approach
to meaningful change.
“Go talk to the people; they feel a
sense of ownership when they come
through the academy,” says Virdell
King, the union associate co-director of
the UAW-Chrysler National Training
Center, which provides administrative
support for the academy. “Many of
them used to wait a year to use the
tools they learned from other training.
Now they use them as soon as they
get back. They feel good. You get a
better product.”
The academy has been described by
some as “our own Apple store” because
of its engaging, interactive learning
stations organized around the 10
technical Pillars that comprise WCM,
such as Safety, Cost Deployment,
Workplace Organization, Quality
Control and People Development.
Students participate in games and
other educational activities that take
advantage of everything from 3D
video technology to slot-car racing and
simulated door and engine assembly
lines designed to translate WCM from
theory into practice.
“The academy is a great
environment,” says Richard West,
a UAW Local 723 Team Leader at
Dundee (Mich.) Engine Plant, on his
second WCMA visit. “The instructors
here are very knowledgeable and they
make the classes fun. They make you
participate, which is great. If you’re not
participating you are not learning.”
When West returns to his plant,
WCMA features hands-on training that engages
students and promotes teamwork.
Chrysler WCM Plant Lead Jon Sheets (left) and UAW Local 51 President
Lorenzo Poole III, both from Mack Avenue Engine, trained together.
he does so armed with new tools and
a fresh perspective to help resolve old
problems. “I could go back to the floor
and look at the operation, and I could
see what other people didn’t see,” he
says. “I could say, ‘Look, if we do this,
that might work better or if we do
that, this might work better.’ ”
As WCMA instructors like to say,
“You can tell who’s been here,” a motto
inscribed on the backs of their shirts.
The slot-car race track is used to
demonstrate how to prevent microstoppages
in the manufacturing process
– small equipment breakdowns that
can snowball into major losses. The
track represents a closed system like a
conveyor or even an assembly line.
The cars on the track are modified
to “break down” while racing. A
high-speed camera captures the
movements, helping students see
that the breakdown might be worse
than what is obvious to the naked
eye. In this way, operators learn to
apply a disciplined process to discover
the root cause of a problem before it
becomes serious.
“I call micro-stoppages the ‘silent
killer’,” says WCMA Trainer and
Development Lead James Sarkis.
“Death by a thousand cuts, no one
ever knows it, and it is often difficult
to identify and attack the root cause.
“When you have all of these little
stops, the pressure is on everyone to
run the line; that’s the old mentality.
CONTINUED on page 7
5

eal people
John Quilice
(great grandfather)
Nash Motors Co., 1920 -1951
Family
Tradition
Dynette King is a fourth-generation autoworker
By Tony Veneziano
Photo by Elizabeth Hackbarth
Mercedes Kreuser
(grandmother)
AMC, 1958-1975
Andrew Kreuser
(grandfather)
AMC, 1962-1972
When opportunity knocked, Dynette King jumped at the
chance to become a UAW-Chrysler employee. The Wisconsin native, who grew
up in a “Chrysler Family,” had been looking forward to that day most of her life.
Dating back to her great grandfather
more than 90 years ago, three
previous generations of King’s family
had all been auto company employees,
including both of her parents and two
of her grandparents. When she was
hired at the Milwaukee National Parts
Distribution Center (PDC) in 2000,
she carried on the family tradition of
working for Chrysler or a company
eventually owned by Chrysler.
“I’m very proud of being a fourthgeneration
Chrysler employee,” says
the 48-year-old King, the UAW
Local 75 Employee Assistance
Program (EAP) rep. “I was thrilled to
be hired in. We definitely take pride
in Chrysler products, and I’ve always
had Chrysler products.”
King’s great grandfather, John
Quilice, started the family tradition in
1920 when he went to work for Nash
Motors Co. He worked in the foundry
there for 31 years before suffering a
fatal heart attack while punching out
at the end of his shift.
Over the years, the Kenosha
operations morphed from one auto
company into another, and then
another. The Nash-Kelvinator Corp.,
which owned Nash Motors, merged
with the Hudson Motor Car Co. in
1954 to form American Motors Corp.
(AMC). Renault acquired AMC in
1983, and Renault in turn sold AMC
to Chrysler in 1987.
King’s grandparents, Andrew
and Mercedes Kreuser continued the
tradition. Mercedes started at the
AMC plant in 1958 working in final
assembly, and finished her career on
the head line in the motor division in
1975. Andrew worked in maintenance
at the AMC plant from 1962-1972.
King’s father Larry Kreuser spent
three decades at the Kenosha plant,
first as an engineer and then as a
supervisor. He was at the plant the
day the last Renault came off the line
in 1987, after the AMC acquisition
by Chrysler.
King’s mother Shirley worked
6
tomorrow Summer 2013 www.uaw-chrysler.com

WCMA CONTINUED from page 5
at both the Kenosha complex and
Chrysler’s Milwaukee PDC. Mother and
daughter even worked together for two
years at the PDC.
“With my dad being a supervisor
toward the end of his career and my
mom serving in the union, I always saw
both sides of the coin,” says King. “I knew
what it took for my dad to get the line
ready … making sure people were there
and on time. Knowing all of that helps
me today in my role as an EAP rep.”
King was virtually surrounded by
the auto industry as she grew up in a
Kenosha neighborhood where many of
her friends’ parents worked alongside
her own family members at the AMC
plant – which eventually would become
Chrysler’s Kenosha Engine Plant.
“My whole childhood was Chrysler
and AMC,” King says. “They used to
have a Nash Club where employees put
in so much (money) each, and we used to
go roller skating and to the movie theater.
They would have all kinds of outings. I
remember the picnics. Everyone took a
lot of pride in working there.”
Today, King works mornings as a
parts picker and afternoons as the Local
75 EAP rep, who provides confidential
guidance and referrals to help coworkers
cope with various personal
and family issues. And at the PDC,
King also tries to foster the camaraderie
that she remembers from her Kenosha
childhood, organizing various activities
for fellow workers.
“Our union members are very
involved with each other and the
community,” she says. “We do picnics
and a lot of outdoor activities, especially
in the summer. In addition, we help
various charities and try to give back to
the community as much as we can.” ■
Tomorrow would like to recognize more
multi-generational Chrysler Group families.
Let us know if you have such a family
tradition, and we will consider writing
about it in a future issue of Tomorrow.
Contact us at tomorrow@ucntc.org.
All of these issues add up because
you have not solved your microstop
problem. We try to give people
the methodology to solve that
initial problem.”
While it was a refresher course
for the Dundee Engine workers,
UAW Local 51 President Lorenzo
Poole III and Chrysler’s WCM
Plant Lead Jon Sheets were among
a contingent from Mack Avenue
Engine in Detroit that got their first
taste of the future at the academy.
Successful implementation of
WCM will be a key to making a
smooth transition to building a new
product, the Pentastar V6 engine,
that gives the
plant a new lease
on life.
“Back in
2009, when we
first introduced
WCM, it was
just an overview
that fell off because our plant was
supposed to close at the time,” says
Poole. “We have built the last engine
of our old product (the 4.7-liter V8)
and gutted the plant, and now
have the luxury of literally starting
from scratch.”
Sheets says the WCMA training
is a good starting point. “We have a
lot of new people. Our goal coming
out of it and restarting is to be
refreshed, reinvigorated and ready
to go. Us coming together as union
and management helps the people
buy in.
“The class we are taking these
three days will be the foundation of
what we want everyone on the floor
to buy into. And the class is full.”
The academy has received an
avalanche of testimonials from
inside and outside UAW-Chrysler.
Perhaps the most prestigious is a
2013 Manufacturing Leadership
100 Award from Industry Week
In the first issue of the online
Tomorrow Extra, we’ll explore how
World Class Manufacturing Academy
training is making a difference on the
shop floor. Look for the story in August
when the Summer Edition of the Extra
debuts at www.tomorrowextra.com.
magazine that was presented
this spring. The awards honor
companies that shape the future of
global manufacturing.
The WCMA was recognized in
the New Workforce category, which
identifies companies that excel in
education and training, knowledge
management and collaboration with
educational institutions.
Thanks to its success, the academy
already has ambitious expansion
plans. Construction is underway
on a 15,000-square-foot addition
to include an automated assembly
line, a functional robotic cell and a
low-cost automation laboratory. It
is scheduled for
completion by
this fall.
As staff
members see it,
the academy’s
rapid growth
stems from the
need to tap WCM’s full potential
as its footprint stretches across
Chrysler. “There is absolutely no
limit to WCM,” says Kristine
Pudlik, a trainer from the UAW.
“It’s not just something you
do, and then you are done. It is a
continuous change management
process that is always evolving. As
you get better, it gets harder.”
And that, says Chrysler NTC
Co-Director Michael Brown, is
because WCM is not a “flavor of the
month” program. It’s here to stay
as the foundation for sustainable
progress necessary to become a
world-class company.
“We’ve had false starts in the
past,” he says, “but this is the real
deal that comes with an instructional
manual and a holistic approach that’s
very substantive and systematic.
It’s bringing about real change
on the shop floor that gives us a
competitive advantage.” ■

UAW-Chrysler
National Training Center
2211 East Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48207
POSTAGE
This newsletter is printed by a union printer
on union-made recycled paper.
in the loop
Heroes among us
Tomorrow wants to hear about Chrysler
employees who should be recognized
for their service in the U.S. Army,
Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast
Guard, Reserves or National Guard.
Those selected from among your
recommendations will be honored in the
2013 Veterans Day Special Issue.
Family members and retirees also are
eligible for recognition. Preference will be
given to those who have not been featured
in a past Veterans Issue. UAW Veterans
Committees or plant-based activities that
salute veterans or support our troops also
may be nominated.
Please send the following information to
tomorrow@ucntc.org: Name and facility
of the individual or organization, your
phone number and email address and a
brief description of their military service
or activities that honor veterans or
support our troops. Information must be
submitted by Aug. 15.
Employee
art to shine
The 2013-2014 Artists
at Work Exhibition,
sponsored by the
UAW-Chrysler
National Training
Center, will be
unveiled at a
Nov. 21 opening
reception. It will feature paintings,
photographs and other art submitted by
U.S.-based Chrysler Group LLC employees.
Entries are judged by an independent
panel of experts from Detroit’s
professional art community. The deadline
for entering the competition was July 5.
Snap it, send it
UAW-represented and non-bargaining unit
employees are eligible to submit a photo
for the 2014 Chrysler Group Employee
Calendar Photo Contest. The winning
images will be featured in a calendar
distributed to all employees at the end of
the year.
Photos should depict this year’s theme,
“Your Vehicle, Your Community,” which
pays tribute to Chrysler’s support for the
communities where employees live and
work as well as employees’ commitment to
the products they build.
The contest is open to anyone who will
be an active Chrysler Group employee or
contract employee at the time the winning
entries are announced. A judge with
professional photographic credentials will
select the best 24 images to be featured in
the calendar.
The deadline for submitting photos is
Sept. 6. Contest rules and photo
uploading instructions are available at
www.calendarcontest.chrysler.com.
Tomorrow Extra adds
a digital dimension
Our new online edition, Tomorrow Extra,
debuts on Aug. 20. Each quarterly
publication will supplement Tomorrow
magazine by providing all-new content
and fresh features.
The Extra will include videos to add a multimedia
dimension to our coverage as well
as blogs to provide personal perspectives
on what’s happening at UAW-Chrysler.
You can access the UAW-Chrysler
National Training Center’s first digital
employee publication by visiting
www.tomorrowextra.com. Check it out.
Whether it relates to the online or print
editions, we welcome your feedback about
Tomorrow.
Write to us at tomorrow@ucntc.org.
Let us know how we’re doing or give us
the scoop if you’ve got a story idea that
involves you or coworkers.
UAW-Chrysler
National Training Center
2211 East Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48207
313.567.3300
Fax: 313.567.4972
Email: rrussell@ucntc.org
www.uaw-chrysler.com
joint activities board
General Holiefield
Vice President, Director
Chrysler Department
UAW Co-Chairman
Alphons A. Iacobelli
Vice President
Employee Relations
Chrysler Group Co-Chairman
Keith Mickens
UAW Co-Director
UAW-Chrysler NTC
Michael Brown
Chrysler Co-Director
UAW-Chrysler NTC
Tim Bressler
Exec. Administrative Assistant to
Vice President Holiefield
Glenn Shagena
Director, Manufacturing HR
Chrysler Group
Virdell King
UAW Associate Co-Director
UAW-Chrysler NTC
Michael R. Jessamy
Director, Employee Relations
Chrysler Group
Ron Russell
Communications Administrator
Bob Erickson
Communications Specialist
Tomorrow is produced four times a year by
J.R. Thompson Company, 26970 Haggerty Rd.,
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331, 248.553.4566,
www.jrthompson.com, on behalf of the UAW-Chrysler
National Training Center. Copyright 2013 by UAW-
Chrysler National Training Center. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph
or illustration without prior written permission from the
publisher is strictly prohibited.