Chrysler suspends 9 workers for drinking and smoking during lunch

Last week, we brought you the news of yet another expose by a Fox 2 Detroit showing Chrysler factory workers drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana during lunch and today, the Chrysler Group has identified and suspended 9 workers shown in the videos.

While the previous two drug/alcohol issues related to the Jefferson North plant where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango are built, this time Fox 2 Detroit caught a handful of workers from the Trenton Engine Plant smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol on their lunch break. Not only are they smokin’ and drinkin’ before heading back to work – but they are doing it in a small parking area across the street from their Local UAW hall. Fox 2 Detroit also followed one factory worker around as he made several trips to the party store to buy beer before going to work. Click here for a full look at the Fox 2 Detroit expose last week.

After dealing with this issue in the past, we expected Chrysler to be quick to respond and today, 9 workers who were identified in the videos have been suspended indefinitely without pay with their future relying on a future investigation. Chrysler issued the following statement to Fox 2 Detroit based on their videos:
To date, all nine employees have been suspended indefinitely without pay pending further investigation. While the evidence seems conclusive, the Company needs to act in accordance with corporate policy and the terms of the collective bargaining agreement before further action is taken. The investigation is ongoing.

While it is incredibly ignorant that these workers would get drunk and high before going back to work in an area and point in time where jobs in Detroit are so precious, the odds of them being fired for their on-the-job indiscretions mean that there will be a couple new job openings at the Trenton Engine plant. It also shows that Chrysler is not going to tolerate workers getting sloppy during work hours – an action which increases the likelihood of human error during production.

Meanwhile, the Trenton Engine Plant continues to mass produce the new 3.6L Pentastar V6 as the Chrysler Group offers it in nearly every vehicle offered in the US market and some overseas vehicles as well. The last thing that Chrysler needs is some drunk putting an engine together wrong and causing quality control issues. Kudos to Fox 2 Detroit and their anonymous tipsters who helped nip this problem in the bud!

Other Chrysler News:
Chrysler UAW workers caught drinking, smoking pot during lunch – for the third time
Changes announced for the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392
Chrysler UAW workers caught drinking, smoking pot during lunch – for the third time
The Dodge Viper sets the NJ Motorsports Park record
Chrysler launches RedLineDodge.com at the 2011 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals
Chrysler leads the industry in June 2011 growth
Ram HD trucks get a new 6-speed transmission in 2012

Source: Fox 2 Detroit