Working the Assembly Line

Another Way for week of August 25, 2023

Working the Assembly Line

Labor Day is coming and we all need to better appreciate the hard work by millions across the U.S. and elsewhere who—by choice or necessity, work the assembly lines or related jobs in our factories.

Singer Lee Dorsey made famous the original “Working in the Coal Mine” song written by Lee Dorsey which carried us oldsters all into the depths of that dirty and dangerous job back in the 60s. The song of course features a pickaxe clinking at some coal.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, manufacturing (often on an assembly line) is the fifth largest industry in the U.S. This ranks behind 1) Health care and social assistance jobs; 2) Retail trade; 3) Accommodation (hotels, etc.) and food services; 4) Waste management and related occupations. (Statistics from 2021 census.) Many many more people work in manufacturing than in our educational system, which I found interesting. And for the record, dangerous mining is near the bottom of the list of employment statistics, but near the top in pay (deservedly).

In some factories, workers are paid $19 an hour and up so the pay is better than say, fast food. However, in many such places, factories and fast food alike, employees often quickly walk out or don’t show up for their jobs. Turnover is a big problem in many locations.

I can’t say much: at my worst summer job, I walked off after two nights at a lumber mill. But I hope it was justified, my biggest complaint being no lunch time as such and no bathroom breaks unless you could get ahead of the machine. Meanwhile, the supervisor was able to sleep in a corner while we worked. I worked the rest of that summer in a shirt factory, neatly placing men’s shirts in plastic wrappers with some fun co-workers.

My husband worked about 44 years in manufacturing and retired as soon as he could, owing to arthritis from standing/walking on concrete 40-60 hours a week. Many times the overtime was mandatory and he still laments the Saturdays when he would have rather been attending ball games or spending time with family at home.

I had been in several factories but never saw an assembly line like the one we were fortunate to visit recently in Dearborn, Michigan on the outskirts of Detroit. If you get a chance, take the time to visit the large assembly plant named “The Ford Rouge Factory.” “Rouge” refers to the river that runs nearby. The whole complex was amazing and management has done their environmental homework to make the facility as “green” as possible on the outside. As described on Wikipedia, the titanic Rouge factory was able to turn raw materials into running vehicles within this single complex, a prime example of “vertical-integration” production. The basic product is a Ford 150 Pickup Truck in various colors and ready to roll.

We were able to walk over the production area, watching the workers beneath us add one or two features to the truck, before it moved down the line. The materials they needed were always brought to them by conveyor belt. We watched the trucks beneath us gradually transform into real and complete vehicles and moved off to a testing area outside before being loaded for delivery. It was fascinating to watch, but we weren’t allowed to take any photos in the production area. Visitors to the factory are picked up at The Henry Ford Museum and driven by bus to the site (tickets run about $18-$24 depending on age).

The workers mostly wore ear muffs to deaden the noise (probably some had music playing), but with the noise, there was little interaction with other employees. I can’t imagine that’s very much fun: can’t talk much. A friend who worked on an assembly line said he’d much rather work fixing something in a shop than putting things in place on an assembly line.

However, what would this world be like without factories and assembly lines that are run by people who care about their jobs and end products. I’m sure that robots will do more and more as the years roll by but let’s not forget the personal touch.

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Have you worked in a factory? Let us hear.

Have you ever visited a factory on vacation?? What did you learn or enjoy? Or not?

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Comments here or write to me at Another Way, P.O. Box 363, Singers Glen, VA 22834, or email anotherwaymedia@yahoo.com.

Another Way is a column by Melodie Davis, in syndication since 1987. She is the author of ten books, most recently Memoir of an Unimagined Career. Another Way columns are posted at FindingHarmonyBlog.com a week after newspaper publication.