Benefits too good to pass on

By Dacotah Erwin

People are leaving jobs they have held for extended periods of time to work at Fiat Chryslers Assembly as a new hire, but it is not because of the work.

One of the main draws for working at FCA is the pension and the benefits it offers. These perks are often too good to pass up. People end up working at FCA and other automotive factories because of these reasons, even though they may not enjoy the line of work.

“The pension, benefits and pay help make working here tolerable,” said Jason Caza, a recent hire at Chryslers. “It’s also easy, but boring work.”

Although there are many benefits to working at FCA, factory work is not for everyone. Some people want to get out of it and will even become a full time student while they are working. Their goal is to move on to a better career.

“I’m going to school to get out of the factory life,” said Rudy Soto, a recent hire at FCA who is also a full time student studying electrical engineering at St. Clair. “There is no opportunities to move up in the company.”

Out of the 1200 new hires FCA brought on in the recent years, many are working low seniority jobs, 40-48 hours a week and making $20 to $21.45 an hour depending on the shift they work.

With FCA planning to hire 250 more workers in the coming weeks and likely more after Christmas, people interested in applying might want to consider what current workers like Soto and Casa have to say about working there.