Factory Life

A bonus column for my seven devoted readers.  I started writing this a few weeks ago, after being challenged by my friend Ron White, to describe how I get through a day of work.  If you don't know Ron (he's a freelance writer in Florida, not referencing the comedian) you should.  He's a stellar writer and a beautiful man.  I was going back over some aborted posts and decided I'd share this, despite the fact that I wasn't fully satisfied with the direction it was going when I wrote it.  



The bell sounds at 5:30 a.m. signaling the start of the shift.  The assembly line lurches forward and the production day begins.  This is my 18th consecutive day of work.  It will be five more days before I have a day off.  I have worked an average of 58 hours every week this year.  Earlier in the spring, I once worked 61 consecutive days. 

I build rear suspensions for the Jeep Cherokee.  There are seven job stations on my side of the line.  We have 51 seconds to complete each job cycle.  Most of the seven jobs are simple.  There are two that are more difficult and are despised by my coworkers.  Even the simple jobs are taxing. Doing the same thing over and over again, for two hour periods, is a brutal process.  When the line runs well, and it almost always does, it is difficult to even find a few seconds to sip your coffee or bottled water.  You often find yourself pleading with the universe for a few moments of downtime, just so you can collect yourself, stretch and chug some Gatorade. 

We rotate jobs after every break,in an attempt to prevent repetitive motion injuries.  Carpel tunnel is still a major health risk in our industry.  As I type this column, there are occasional shooting pains in my left hand.  Outside of repetitive motion injuries, I struggle with aching and arthritic knees, exacerbated by standing on a concrete floor for 10 hours a day, seven days a week.  The skin on my hands is perpetually dry, often leading to painful cracks around the joints of my fingers. 

A 10 hour shift can be excruciating.  I tend to start most days with a positive mindset, but it is difficult to maintain for the duration of the day.  I've done each of the seven jobs, thousands and thousands of times this year, so many times that I could almost do them in my sleep.  My mind wanders frequently.  In fact, the more my mind wanders, the easier it is to get through my work day.  It's the days that I feel a little off, or am frustrated with any aspect of my life enough to focus on it, that I feel stuck and am unable to escape the mindless tasks in front of me. 

Music is an absolute necessity for me to survive these exhausting shifts.  I created a Spotify account and readily fork out $10 a month for it.  I'm constantly browsing the App's music library for new and undiscovered music.  On any given day, I'll flip from Eminem to Bob Dylan, from Merle Haggard to 50 Cent, bluegrass to classical to metal to folk.  There isn't a music genre that I won't explore, all in an effort to escape the reality of my work. 

I've also learned the art of sending a text message in between job cycles.  Being able to stay in frequent communication with my significant other throughout the day, goes a long way towards making my shift bearable. It sometimes takes me four or five minutes to complete a text message, but hearing how her day is going, makes mine easier to get through.  Plus she's extremely witty and we sometimes have more in depth conversations via text, than we do in person. 

We get two 15 minute breaks, a 30 minute, unpaid lunch and two 10 minute breaks.  There isn't much time to rest on these breaks.  The nearest smoke shack is about 100 yards away.  I smoke a cigarette, use the restroom and often grab a coffee or water refill and a snack, all in those precious few minutes of break time.  Using the restroom is crucial.  I can't just walk off of the line and use the bathroom whenever nature calls.  There are days when bodily functions fail to follow the break schedule.  This requires goading our team leader off of his chair, so that he can replace me on the line for a few minutes. 

Some days are easier than others.  Some days are just brutal from start to finish.  It's not glamorous, but I take a certain amount of pride in working hard for the pay that I earn.  I fully intend to become a professional writer some day.  Until that day comes, I'm prepared to spend my days building Jeeps and coming home to pen snarky poems and perfect sentences.  After all, over 20,000 people applied for my job when I was hired, and there are thousands and thousands of other folks who wish they had the opportunity that I have.