Last Thursday, May 16, a veteran worker at the sprawling Ford Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, collapsed and died on the shop floor after his shift at the body shop somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. The deceased worker was identified as Darius Williams. Co-workers on the afternoon shift told the World Socialist Web Site that Williams was one of the highest seniority workers in the plant with 33 years at Ford.
His team leader reported that Williams had said good night before walking toward the exit with no sign of pain or discomfort. Workers nearby saw Darius crumpling to the floor unresponsive just before reaching the exit door.
An emergency response team attempted to revive Williams with a defibrillator but their efforts failed. As of this writing, there has been no report of a medical diagnosis to explain the sudden death of Darius Williams.
Over the last few years there have been scores of deaths at the Rouge complex. The company is systematically intensifying the rate of exploitation, laying off entire shifts and doubling and tripling the number of jobs an individual operator must perform. Many report that older workers are especially targeted for the grueling treatment in a deliberate effort to force them into early retirement, disability or death.
Workers at a recent factory meeting called by management reported that a co-worker defied intimidation to denounce this deliberate policy. He said:
They just double up jobs for the people who have high seniority—make them do two jobs and wait for them to drop dead. The speed-up is pervasive and many workers do not speak out, because the union has done nothing to defend their co-workers who have.
I work the same exact job as my coworkers and don’t smoke and drink. If work conditions lead to smoking and drinking, then why is it only the old people outside at break time smoking?
They picked up bad habits in their youth, not because of job conditions, but a lack of education into their dangers. Where I live, 30 years ago restaurants asked customers “smoking or non-smoking?” It ain’t the work conditions that’s causing them to smoke a pack a day.
Not every person reacts to stress in the same ways. Good on you for not smoking or drinking! But why do you need to shame these people who, as you mentioned, grew up in a different time and without the knowledge of the dangers involved? Knowledge that was actively suppressed by the tobacco industry.
I’m not shaming anyone! I’m just saying the working conditions at my plant aren’t the reason my coworkers smoke and drink.
The idea in the linked comment seems to be that poor working conditions, leads to poor life decisions, leads to poor health, leads to early death. Therefore, early deaths are caused by poor working conditions.
My point is that poor life decisions aren’t necessarily caused by poor working conditions. Poor life decisions can be caused by other things, for example, lack of education.
I’d really like to know your experience, if any, with working in manufacturing or any other labor work.
While you’re right with poor education being a factor, there are many other factors also.
I’ve pulled 12 hour days in 110°F factories, where y’all pray for the sun to go down, and management to go home, so you can finally open the back door and catch a breeze.
Even with all the education in the world, you dont want to go home and cook… a meal… after a day like that, never mind weeks or years.
I’d really just like to know what was your hardest labor job. Sometimes we think we know about something, even with education, but in practical life, it’s not what you expected.
Jesse Wells “Fat”