DETROIT – Three employees marked a milestone of six decades with Chrysler on September 9, highlighting their lengthy tenures at the automaker and their continued dedication to the company. The celebration took place at Stellantis’ North American headquarters, the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where the veterans met with CEO Antonio Filosa, toured the facility, and were honored during a companywide town hall.

Among the honorees was Charles Ferguson, 82, who has worked at Chrysler’s Kokomo Transmission Plant in Indiana since July 1966. Reflecting on 60 years of service, Ferguson recounted memorable moments including a near explosion caused by a malfunctioning automated line early in his career, which resulted in no injuries but left a coworker losing his hairpiece. Ferguson said his motivation to keep working stems from his enjoyment of the workplace routine, friendships, and the paycheck. Despite being eligible for retirement and having personal interests such as two Corvettes and a Ram diesel pickup truck, Ferguson insists he is not ready to step away. “I love going to work so much. I’d be alone,” he said.

Also celebrating 60 years was Raymond Washington, 79, who has worked at various Chrysler facilities in the Detroit area. Currently a millwright at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, Washington’s career includes stints at the now-closed Lynch Road Assembly Plant, Dodge Main in Hamtramck, and Warren Truck and Jefferson North Assembly plants. Like Ferguson, Washington expressed no plans to retire, emphasizing his physical and mental capability to continue working. “Where do you go after that? A rocking chair?” he said.

Washington noted significant changes in automotive production over the decades, highlighting improvements in ergonomic design that have eased the physical toll of line work. He recalled earlier workers’ warnings about the long-term wear of assembly line jobs, adding that advancements have made such work less physically demanding today.

Both Ferguson and Washington spoke to the unexpected beginnings of their careers. Ferguson pursued a long-standing goal of working in manufacturing, while Washington shared that his path started by chance after joining a long line at the wrong employment office. Initially intending to apply for a steel job, Washington was instead hired on the spot by Chrysler and began working that same day on short notice.

Joining the two at the event was William Kendrick, another 60-year Chrysler employee, who chose not to engage with the press.

The gathering underscored not only the longevity and loyalty of these employees but also the enduring changes in the automotive industry and Chrysler’s evolving corporate identity, now under Stellantis. Both Ferguson and Washington reflected on the company’s transformation from Chrysler Corporation to its current state, expressing pride in their long associations with the automaker.