Unraveling the Horrors of the Manufacturing Setting
To this day, I vividly remember the days I spent inside a manufacturing plant packing bread for eight hours a day as my summer job in 2018. I was standing in front of the conveyor belt while grabbing wrapped bread and placing it in cardboard boxes. As each hour passed, my whole body would become sore from the constant, physical activity. Meanwhile, the heat emanating from the ovens made me sweat every second of the day; I was on the brink of exhaustion. I worried that I would not come out alive in one piece the next day.
Upon reading Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, I cannot help but relate it to my own experience of working in a factory:
“There was not even a place where a man could wash his hands, and the men ate as much raw blood as food at dinner-time. When they were at work they could not even wipe off their face – they were as helpless as newly born babes in that respect; and it may seem like a small matter, but when the sweat began to run down their necks and tickle them, or a fly to bother them, it was a torture like being burned alive”.(Sinclair 120-121)
How absurd! I cannot believe that manufacturing workers in America are treated to these poor inhumane conditions. It baffles me. The working conditions in manufacturing settings are extremely dangerous. They should be taken into consideration. My time at a bread factory was an eye-opening experience. I was able to empathize with my relatives that work in these daunting settings for a living.
The working conditions in the manufacturing industry need recognition. They deserve to be known to the general public. I have friends that are only familiar with working in retail but are clueless what working in a factory is like. They are not aware of the dangers associated in working a factory. I hope that an illustrated book would be an effective medium that would depict my experiences and not repeat the mistakes that I went through.
I dedicated time to reading articles and books related to manufacturing. I submerged myself in understanding what the working experiences were like in the 20th century. I also compared and contrasted my work experience in a factory to other’s past experiences. The pieces of text that I selected for my annotated bibliography are the foundation for the format for the story-telling in my illustrated book.
Afterwards, I began to document my past work experience at the bread factory. I created five journal entries along with five sketches. As I documented my work life, I could not help but feel frustration and sorrow during this process. It made me reflect on how I could have approached my workday successfully without any mistakes. Once again, I started searching and reading articles. I read articles that focused on improving workplace culture. I wanted to learn what methods were effective in creating a productive work environment. After researching, I noticed a common theme amongst each reading. Each reading stressed these keywords: autonomy, reliability, communication, and engagement. I realized that these were key points that I lacked in my former job. These are concepts that I could have applied and followed if I could once again relive my factory job.
From there, I used my search findings to formulate my own survey questionnaire. In my survey, I wanted my participants to describe their factory experience. I wanted them to describe their job. I wanted to know how they felt about their jobs. More importantly, I wanted to know if they had encountered any injuries in their jobs. In addition, I wanted to know their input on methods that would best improve their workplace culture. The goal of my survey was to identify a common ground in work life with my participants and I. This would serve as the base to consider on improving workplace culture. For the last part of my research, I wanted to know of movements in workplace safety occurring today.
In recent news, Amazon workers in Alabama voted against forming a union. Despite the outcome, they still have other options to fight for their well-being. According to the article by Danielle Abril titled, “Amazon workers can still fight for better conditions, even if union efforts fail. Here’s how”, Amazon workers can either form minority unions or they can self-organize with outside groups of individuals in order to bargain with the administration team (Abril 1). From reading this, I was eager to search online for previous work accidents at my former job.
Upon using google to find work accidents at Alpha Baking Co., the first link that appears is a news report from OSHA. As I click on the web link, my eyes are quickly fixed on the bolded words of the news’ title, “Employee fatally injured after being caught in machinery at Alpha Baking Co.” After reading the short article, I was baffled to find out that other injuries leading to a person losing a limb from their body or being fatally compressed by heavy machinery were happening at the bakery plant. The fatal accident occurred on May 27, 2014 (OSHA.org). These were my major concerns when I previously worked there during 2018. It seems as if Alpha Baking Co. is doing the bare minimum to protect the safety and well-being of its employees. Towards the end of the article, I was in awe when I saw the contact information provided by OSHA. This was the piece of information that I needed to fully flesh out to my illustrated book.
After reading these articles, I came to the conclusion that my illustrated book should be more than an autobiographical book. It should also contain simple and healthy tips that will help them navigate successfully in these dangerous work factories such as effective communication, proper hygiene, and physical exercises. In addition, I want to be able to provide contact information to OSHA and The U.S. Department of Labor for my audience. My goal is not to bring fear to my readers but to let them know that they have basic human rights. I hope that my rough illustrated book is more than a source of entertainment but a guide as a survival for a worker’s wellbeing.
Bibliography
Abril, Danielle. “Amazon Workers Can Still Fight for Better Conditions, Even If Union Efforts Fail. Here’s How.” Fortune, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2021, fortune.com/2021/04/13/amazon-workers-union-efforts-collective-power-working-conditions-activism/.
“Employee Fatally Injured after Being Caught in Machinery at Alpha Baking Co. U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Cites Chicago Bakery for 6 Serious Violations.” Osha.gov, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 30 Oct. 2014, www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region5/10302014-0.
Sinclair , Upton. The Jungle. Doubleday, Page & Co., 1906.
“Welcome to the Office of Labor-Management Standards.” U.S. Department of Labor Seal, 29 Apr. 2021, www.dol.gov/agencies/olms.
“UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.” Home | Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 Apr. 2021, www.osha.gov/.
