Stiffing the Working Class

Clyde Bradley takes the reader with him on a journey that spans over three decades of manufacturing trends as seen through the eyes of a typical blue-collar factory worker. Cutting corners and cutting wages may goose the bottom line briefly, but over the long term they destroy employees’ ability to get the job done. Anecdotes from the contemporary American manufacturing world expose management’s utter disrespect for workers, from unsafe and unsanitary work conditions, to low pay, lack of job security, and the use of illegal immigrants. The writer shows how paying a little more money for permanent employees results in increased production and improved quality, whereas using cheaper temporary labor destroys quality. He shows that the middle-class wage base is depressed not only by the use of illegal immigrants but also by retired employees reentering the work force at reduced wages, and provides illustrations of unsafe working conditions caused by improper training as well as faulty equipment. Overly-aggressive management styles deter employees from wanting to do a good job, and unique problems are created when an employer throws different groups of people together and expects them to work effectively when they speak different languages and cannot communicate. This book offers a breath of fresh air to those who struggle to survive or even do a good job in today’s work environment.