This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 1, 2012 - After two years of employment struggles, former Chrysler worker Chris Paplanus, 54, says he is blessed to be back on an assembly line -- building vans at the General Motors plant in Wentzville.
"I consider myself blessed, and I'm appreciative and lucky. Whatever chance I have to pay it forward, I will,'' said Paplanus, who was featured in a two-part series by the St. Louis Beacon in August.
Paplanus worked at Chrysler's Fenton plant for 26 years and was one of more than 3,000 St. Louis area autoworkers who lost their jobs in cutbacks that started in 2008 and ended with the facility being shuttered in July 2009. He credits his brother -- a longtime GM employee -- for the referral that resulted in his hiring in October. Paplanus said he is an entry-level worker and makes about $15 an hour -- less than the $28 he earned at Chrysler but more than the $9 an hour he was paid at a temporary factory job.
Paplanus notes that while the nation's unemployment rate decreased to 8.6 percent in November, he considers himself fortunate to have landed at GM when so many Americans are still unemployed or working temporary jobs. He knows former Chrysler colleagues who are hoping to be hired by GM when a $380 million expansion is completed and the Wentzille plant begins producing Chevrolet Colorado trucks in 2013.
Paplanus said he likes his job at GM -- where fellow employees have nicknamed him "Chrysler" -- because he enjoys being busy and he is familiar with the work.
"It feels like home,'' he said.
Paplanus thinks the U.S. economy is showing improvement, but he believes that jobs lost during the recession by middle-class Americans are coming back very slowly. Paplanus, who held a series of temporary jobs during his unemployment, advises people to keep moving and to stay involved, although he acknowledges that it can be tough to do.
"The more you do the more you get done,'' he said. "It is rare that jobs come looking for you."
