Former General Motors workers build new lives
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Gregg Cisneros used to work for GM in Janesville. After losing his job and going back to school, Cisneros is now a police officer for the city of Beloit.
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Scott Schoonover relaxes at home with his son Zach, left, wife Julie and daughter Emily, right. Scott filled out 500 applications after he lost his job at General Motors. He got only two responses.
JANESVILLE — Three years after her last day at the Janesville General Motors plant, Pam Good has a better appreciation for how people survive on low wages.
"I don't take money so much for granted anymore," she said. "I see how others have had to struggle with the wages they make."
Good earned more than $29 an hour at GM plus excellent health benefits. Today, she earns $11 an hour drawing blood at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center and has health insurance with fewer benefits.
"When I worked at GM, I knew I could support myself if something ever happened to my husband," she said. "But there is no way I can support myself on this wage."
Good's husband is an ironworker. She has two children, ages 21 and 11.
Like so many former GM workers who did not move to take jobs in other auto-making plants, she has adjusted to a lifestyle built on lower wages.
"We do a lot of cutting back," she said. "You can't afford the extra stuff, even going out to dinner. We don't go to the movies as much. We don't have as many vacations."
The family is spending less on Christmas as well.
Good worked at GM for 23 years.
When the Janesville plant closed for most workers in December 2008, she figured she would transfer to another GM factory.
"I did not plan on going to school," the 44-year-old said. "We were hoping they would change their minds and keep the plant open. By the first of the year, I still thought I would transfer. I was still signing up to go somewhere else."
Eventually, she attended Blackhawk Technical College and let go of the idea of transferring.
"I always wanted to do something in the medical field," Good said.
She became a certified nursing assistant and went to work at Mercy Hospital, where she was trained in drawing blood.
Good took a big pay cut. At the same time, she took a big hike in job satisfaction.
"I really like my job," she said. "I really enjoy interacting with people. It's personal."
She misses her co-workers at GM, but she does not miss assembly-line work.
"Chasing the line, where the vehicles never stop, was hard on the body," Good said.
Still, she is torn.
"If I had to choose again, I probably would have decided to transfer to another plant," she said.
"I probably would have chosen to be an unhappy autoworker with a little extra money than being happy in my job."
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Scott Schoonover filled out 500 applications looking for work after he finished his one-year diploma in the industrial maintenance program at Blackhawk Technical College. Only two companies called him back.
The second hired the former Janesville GM worker, who was laid off in July 2008 after more than 11 years with the company.
Today, 52-year-old Schoonover works at Uniroyal Engineered Products, Stoughton, where he inspects Naugahyde for quality. He works third shift—from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. He earns $17 per hour, about $10 less than what he made at GM. He tries to make up the shortfall by working overtime.
"You can work a double shift," he said. "The biggest challenge is staying awake on the way home."
Schoonover of Janesville labors long hours for financial security.
After he lost his GM job, he and his family had to adjust to a lower income.
"We have a budget," Schoonover said. "In September and October, we had a glitch. My wife's hours were slashed. That really put a damper on our grocery budget. I tried to make up for it by working as much overtime as I could."
Schoonover and his wife, Julie, have two children, ages 16 and 17. Julie works at Walmart. Schoonover is happy for the overtime, but it takes away from family time.
"My wife is fantastic about picking up slack on the home front while I am picking up some sleep and doing double shifts," he said. "You got to do what you got to do. I am so fortunate to have a family that understands."
Since working in Stoughton, he spends about $80 per week in gas or about twice as much as when he worked at GM. He drives what he calls "a beater" and keeps it running with the help of his son Zach.
Schoonover had a chance to transfer to another plant and continue earning a higher salary. But when he and his family made a list of reasons for moving, the only one they could come up with was money.
"There were too many other reasons to stay here, including both sets of grandparents for our kids," Schoonover said.
He has never stopped being grateful for his family.
"I did not think it was possible to get any closer, but we have," he said. "We look ahead to what we need, not to what we want. But we don't look too far ahead. It used to be day by day. It is now month by month."
Schoonover doesn't know if or when he can retire.
"That is too far out there for me to look at," he said.
He believes the last three years have made him stronger.
"GM closing has made me appreciate what I have," Schoonover said. "It renewed my faith in myself that I am not a quitter. We recently watched, ‘It's a Wonderful Life.' It was a reminder that things happen for a reason. There still are a heck of a lot of people worse off than we are."
***
Gregg Cisneros always thought about being a police officer.
"I saw cops as the good guys," he said. "I wanted to be a good guy."
Today, the 36-year-old is living his dream a lot sooner because the GM plant closed.
He went to work on the line at age 19 and chose the same company where his father had worked in the skilled trades for more than 30 years.
But Cisneros was different.
"I always told myself I wasn't going to spend 30 years there," he said. "I was going to use it as a stepping stone."
In 2005, Cisneros began taking one class each semester at Blackhawk Technical College. He could not take more because he was working 50 hours a week, was divorced and had four young children.
When Cisneros walked out of GM for the last time on Aug. 8, 2008, he already had taken some classes. He then enrolled fulltime at Blackhawk Technical College. Cisneros graduated in June 2010 in the criminal justice program and now is working as a police officer for the city of Beloit. He earns about $42,000 per year, which is more than $13,000 less than when he left GM.
"It's still a good wage," he said. "We gave up a few extra activities, like vacations. But we do not have a huge difference in lifestyle."
When he got laid off, he never considered transferring to another plant because he didn't want to be away from his kids.
Now remarried, he said his family is the reason he goes to work.
"If I moved to another city, I would not come home to my kids," he said.
What Cisneros lost in wages, he has more than made up for in job satisfaction.
"I love my job," he said. "I used to dread walking into GM and doing the same job every day. I don't feel that way anymore. It is 100 times better now."
Jan 1, 2012 at 8:46 a.m.
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Jvillis86ed no one can argue that the workers were a tad lazy. (to say the least) but REALLY call it quits. Your village needs yee ol smart self to run the show. Go henceforth from where you came. Oh and before you go what was that link again? In case we forgot.
Dec 20, 2011 at 3:51 p.m.
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any water related to the plant would probably glow in the dark. might be a good advertizing point!
Dec 20, 2011 at 3:26 p.m.
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I say we raze the G.M. plant and build the largest waterpark from here to Timbuktu!!
Dec 20, 2011 at 3:10 p.m.
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Does this mean GM is not coming back to Janesville?
Dec 20, 2011 at 12:35 p.m.
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@Acai~ I appreciate that! I tell you humbly, I've been blessed to enough to be able to replace my GM income in tenfold, and I would still tell you the same, I'd give it all up if it even took me remotely away from my family.
Dec 20, 2011 at 12:29 p.m.
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The other day I mentioned if it isn't the teachers it is the GM worker and here it is.
What about a story on anybody else who is out of work. It sin't all about GM.
$17 an hour is still pretty darn good wage.
congrat to all of you for finding something.
GM could still be here if you didn't think 29 per hour was bad.
badger- I sure an article has been run on this. Search GM in search box and you'll find lots of reading to do.
Dec 20, 2011 at 10:43 a.m.
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many more happy days to you badger. but it caught my eye that your statement starts "It is too bad that these people have to bash the place that provided them a great wage and place to work." and ends "we would be in the same boring crappy rut that Janesville had reduced us to."
Dec 20, 2011 at 10:25 a.m.
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KLEEJ, YOU GOT IT RIGHT...........
Dec 20, 2011 at 9:44 a.m.
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Olderandornerier first I will say I am a happy owner of a great running GMC Sierra 4wd 1500. But, I have to say you can not blame people for buying other vehicles than US made. Look at GM's crappy quality of the mid 70's through the mid 80's. THAT is when people got fed up with GM and started looking at other makes of vehicles. Do you think if it were not for competition GM would have excelled to the quality they are today?
Dec 20, 2011 at 9:33 a.m.
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badger1,
Good luck to you and your family! You and your family were faced with a decision, a hard decision-but you made it and moved forward with your life. I agree that I would read a story about those who've left the local area and made the best of a difficult decision.
Happy holidays!
Dec 20, 2011 at 8:14 a.m.
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It is too bad that these people have to bash the place that provided them a great wage and place to work. We did take a transfer because my husband likes working at the plant and has no desire to do anything else. He did go to school while shut down but again doesn't mind the line worker job. It was the best thing for our family. It has not fallen apart and all our other family members are still in WI and we visit and they visit and friends visit. And all of the other transfers that we have met from Janesville love where they are now and would not go back even if Janesville re-opened. It is too bad that the Gazette doesn't highlight the people that have transferred and love it where they are and have made great new lives for themselves and their families. From this transfer we have met other people from Janesville that we never would have met if Janesville were still open and have made great close friends. All I know is my family is grateful that the plant closed or we would be in the same boring crappy rut that Janesville had reduced us to. It was the best thing that has ever happened to our family.
Dec 20, 2011 at 7:53 a.m.
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I understand their plight but why isn't there a story printed about the people who have always made low wages and have had to survive because they didn't belong to a union. My income is down 42% and I have no health insurance unless I can pay for it. The husband is an ironworker so I'm sure he is still making very good money and is still in the union with good medical benefits.
Dec 20, 2011 at 7:32 a.m.
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jvilleis86ed your comment really shows why so many people have a bad impression of GM workers not only here but around the country the people in this article are good people doing what they can but they are back to reality, they are back to where the rest of us are, it is not good or bad it is reality. I appreciate they have embraced it.
Dec 20, 2011 at 7:14 a.m.
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Just a tip for saving money: Instead of renting movies, access the Hedberg site and request movies. The library has all the latest movies, cd's, and books. That's what I started doing when I lost my job last year. I figure that since I pay property taxes, I'm already helping to purchase the same movies that I would normally purchase or rent.
Dec 20, 2011 at 3:46 a.m.
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"The Holocaust survivors had it easy in comparison" REALLY. Are you serious?
I thought the story was very interesting. The GM people had very difficult decisions to make and all decisions have consequences. It was kind of inspiring to read about people who placed family values above money.
Dec 19, 2011 at 10:24 p.m.
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Perservearance in the face of uncertainty!! Congratulations to you all and Merry Christmas!!
Dec 19, 2011 at 7:38 p.m.
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Way to go guys and gals !
Dec 19, 2011 at 7:36 p.m.
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Best Holiday Season wishes to all GM employees displaced by the closure...as well as anyone else who lost their job.
Stories like this remind us that nothing in life is guaranteed and that you must remain resilient and vigilant when life throws you a curve ball!
Dec 19, 2011 at 7:16 p.m.
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This story had less to do about GM and more to do about what these people have done after losing a well paying job. Get over yourself nothing.
Dec 19, 2011 at 7:04 p.m.
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Some very positive stories! Kudos to you all! I do wonder how representative these folks are of those who chose to stay.
Dec 19, 2011 at 6:24 p.m.
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nobody: I never worked at the GM plant but I will say you picked the perfect name, fits you well .. but you sound more like the grinch.
Dec 19, 2011 at 5:51 p.m.
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Congratulations to these former GM workers and their families. I was blessed enough to leave GM on my own terms, three years before the plant closed for many of the same reasons these fine people have. There's a few things in this world that money doesn't trump and "family" is definitely one of them. I have several friends that chose to relocate to various plants around the country to remain with GM and sadly, the common theme amongst nearly all of them is their families have fallen apart. I understand that this doesn't mean everyone's has, however, it's a disturbing trend that pain's my heart. I feel very fortunate and thankful for my time @ GM for the years I was there, but at the same time, I'm glad I was able to understand before it was too late, that my "riches" were and remain as always, MY FAMILY!
Dec 19, 2011 at 5:23 p.m.
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I certainly have respect for the people in this article. They are good people, and have obviously picked themselves up by the boot straps and made the best of a bad situation.
Too bad the "sit on their ass and whine" people can't do the same...
And I am really surprised at the negative comments on this...
Sure doesn't say much for you all.
Dec 19, 2011 at 4:23 p.m.
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If i worked at gm wages for 23 years, I wouldn't be "working" anymore. Reality is many of these folks have had to work. It is nice to hear in this story of the people not moving because of family. I know someone who did move and left children behind. Not in a millions years for me.
Dec 19, 2011 at 4:15 p.m.
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The GM plant should still be up and running, not something of the past. The plant closing hurt everybody in the area. I blame people who bought foreign cars when there was no need to.
Dec 19, 2011 at 4:15 p.m.
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I think I will sit back and eat some popcorn waiting for the usual GM haters to make their presence known.
Dec 19, 2011 at 3:19 p.m.
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I think its a great story about people making the best of a bad situation. They seem to be happier and more confident in their ability to bounce back. Merry Christmas to them and their families! Nice can do story!
Dec 19, 2011 at 2:16 p.m.
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Why is this even a story who cares. the gm plant is in the past where it should be.
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