“Some Lessons from the Assembly Line” by Andrew Braaksma
The University of Michigan junior Andrew Braaksma writes about his experiences working on an assembly line during the summers in his piece titled “Some Lessons from the Assembly Line.” The difficult times Andrew Braaksma experienced as a factory worker are described in detail. Braaksma describes how working 12-hour days at the plastics industry left him weary. According to Braaksma, the job is difficult, and the pay is meagre. The most difficult thing for manufacturing workers to deal with was the possibility that their job would go overnight. When one of Braaksma’s coworkers at a particular factory told him that the division where he worked will be shuttered in 6 months and sent to Mexico, overseas relocation and downsizing suddenly seemed practically unthinkable. Workers in Mexico would receive 60 cents an hourly wage. Braaksma claims that life is difficult away from university and that he only works for manufacturers temporarily. In his masterpiece “Some Lessons on the Assembly Line,” Andrew Braaksma discusses his summertime experiences working in factories. This essay contrasts these experiences with the languid college experience. The article by Braaksma makes hard work the first important point. Braaksma uses his summertime employment in the local industry to demonstrate the value of hard labour.
His pals would accept part-time jobs that were simpler than the ones he did, such as welding, cutting, moving, or assembling parts at factories. For around two months in the summer, Braaksma would put in a full day’s labour to make some money. Even among his undergraduate buddies who favour simpler employment, hard labour is a quality that is uncommon.
Misuse is the second important consideration. Factory owners abuse their employees by overworking them and providing them insufficient wages. Braaksma claims that after putting in 12 hours a day of labour, he was surprised by the meagre pay he eventually received. Factory workers are forced to work long hours, leaving them too fatigued to do their duties.
The employees would subsequently earn meagre pay for their arduous labour. The most stressful problem that workers confront after overcoming all these obstacles is the possibility of losing their jobs suddenly due to downsizing and international relocation.
The final important aspect is what Andrew Braaksma learned from working in these factories. According to the report, Braaksma claims that no amount of instruction could have prepared him for the difficulties he encountered when running the industrial machine. He was motivated by these teachings to make the most of his undergraduate years before entering the real world. According to Andrew Braaksma, working in the factories during the summer was taxing.
In conclusion, it is clear that working in factories is difficult and pays poorly. Despite being lengthy, underpaid, and exhausting, Andrew Braaksma regards his time as a factory worker as enlightening.
References
Newsweek, September 12, 2005, Vol. 146, No. 11, p. 17–17, Braaksma Andrew, “Some Lessons from The Assembly Line.” 1 page, 1 colour photo
