Southeastern Michigan
Worker Classifications in a Typical Plant
Skilled Trades Workers (All Hourly)
- Tooling Trades including Die Maker, Pattern Makers, Pattern
Repairer, Tool Makers, and Tool Maker-Jig and Fixture builder
- Maintenance Skilled Trades including Electrician,
Machine Repairmen, Automotive Mechanic, Gas and Electric Jitney Mechanic,
Millwright, Pipefitter-Plumber, Sheet Metal Worker, and Welder Equipment
Repairer
Assembly or Non-Skilled Workers (All Hourly)
- Loosely referred to as production workers.
-
Non-Production Workers
- Clerical office workers, janitors
- Some are salaried; some are salaried union.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Descriptions of Skilled Occupations in the Auto Industry
Ocupational Outlook Handbook - 2000-2001, Career Guide to Industries:
Motor Vehicle and Equipment Manufacturing
Precision production, craft, and
repair workers, the second largest group of production jobs,
account for 1 out of 5 jobs in the motor vehicle and equipment manufacturing industry.
These skilled workers set up, maintain, and repair equipment and assemble complex components
such as engines. Electricians service complex electrical
equipment. Plumbers and pipefitters
install and repair piping, valves, pumps, and compressors.
Industrial machinery mechanics and
maintenance repairers maintain machinery and equipment to prevent
costly breakdowns and, when necessary, perform repairs.
Millwrights install and move machinery and heavy equipment
according to the factory’s layout plans. Vehicle and
mobile equipment mechanics repair bodies, engines, and other
parts of motor vehicles, industrial trucks, and other mobile heavy equipment.
Precision assemblers assemble engines and perform other assembly
work requiring great precision. Throughout the manufacturing process,
inspectors, testers, and graders
ensure that motor vehicles and parts meet quality standards. They inspect raw
materials, check parts for defects, check the uniformity of subassemblies, and test
drive vehicles. Machinists produce precision metal
parts that are made in numbers too small to produce with automated machinery.
Tool and die makers produce tools, dies, and special
guiding and holding devices used in machines. Sheet metal workers
cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal suitable for various motor vehicle parts.