Coal and steel
November 18, 2009
The sparks fly as the red-hot mass flows into the container. "It is just incredible. I watch it every time," he says - even though he has watched the same scene for the past 30 years.
In 1975, at age 17, Zimmerman began working for Krupp. At that time, the company was desperately seeking workers. On a board in the personnel office, Zimmerman looked at the many job advertisements, among them crane operator, machinist, and quality assurance manager.
He decided for the latter. From then on, he was responsible for the problem-free flow of materials through the steel mill at Duisburg-Rheinhausen.
Shop steward at work
Trained in business administration, Zimmermann quickly worked his way up the ladder. He learned to use a mainframe computer.
"People who put their shoulder to the grindstone could really get somewhere," he said, giving a last glance to the smelter and climbing the stairs to see his colleagues in the switching station.
Zimmermann is still mainly a computer specialist. But today he is in the plant as a shop steward, handing out flyers for the next evening meeting.
Joining the trade union, IG Metall, is something he didn't think twice about.
"In the 1970s you had to first be in IG Metall before you could even sign the job contract," he said, with more than a touch of pride in his voice.
No one knows better than Zimmermann that workers need powerful representation. In 1982, he and his co-workers heard on the news that Krupp was planning to close the Rheinhausen mill. They called an immediate work stoppage, and organized picket lines.
"You don't forget that kind of strike"
"I can still feel it, you don't forget a fight like that," he said. The strike went on for two months, and then the employers agreed to a compromise: no operational layoffs, older workers get paid out, younger workers are offered jobs at other plants.
For his part, Zimmermann was moved to Bochum, and had to start over as a quality controller again.
But the company wasn't finished cutting jobs. They reduced their work force by nearly half between 1991 and 1994. In the fusion with competitor Thyssen a few years later, more jobs were lost. But the shop steward is certain that without the union, things would have been much worse.
"Unions more important than money"
"Union work is more important to me than earning money," he said. Just a few years ago he struck another deal on behalf of the workers. And it wasn't likely to be the last, even though the company has been posting profits.
"I don't want to know how things will go when the industry really is doing poorly," he said.
Still, there are some positive things to report on, including a renewed commitment from the firm to train young people who work there. So Zimmermann says he will give his daughter the same advice he got from his father - "Daughter, go work for Krupp!"