Reader first-person: ‘I was a spot welder‘ at an automaker — the scars tell the tale | Opinion

As auto workers strike outside America’s biggest carmakers, consider the physical toll that assembly line work takes on a person’s body. Auto workers stand for 8–12-hour shifts, performing repetitive movements like bending, reaching, lifting awkward or heavy tools and parts, or squatting, hundreds of times a day as they complete their individual tasks.

Try this at home. We’re not talking about the benefits of a stand-up desk or a walking pad. The strain on their bodies is relentless, and it only intensifies as the clock ticks away, with a car rolling by approximately every 50 plus seconds. There is no place to sit, no downtime between cars, and the line only stops for a 30-minute lunch. Workers can’t go to the bathroom without permission. That requires getting the attention of a relief person to take over their job while they’re gone.

A factory is a noisy, dangerous place, full of potential for accidents. I know because I worked at an automaker for ten years, eight of those years on the assembly line. My fellow workers and I navigated close quarters, handled parts, operated machinery, and wielded power tools repeatedly. For safety reasons, we couldn’t wear headphones to listen to music, podcasts, or audio books. There is no quiet quitting on the assembly line.

In this physically demanding environment, the request for wage increases is not just about economics; it’s about acknowledging the human toll exacted by the work. During my tenure, I developed carpal tunnel syndrome. The plant had a medical department on site. Physical therapy was called “work hardening,” meaning it would toughen you up to get you back on the line. In my case, I was given steroid shots in my hands, told to use ice packs, and required to wear braces on both wrists and elbows. The wrist braces fit awkwardly and created dents in my arms. It took three years for the dents to go away.

Muscles need recovery time from the physical strains of labor. But workers need personal rest time, too; time to engage in activities that promote well-being. Imagine trying to squeeze in some pickleball, yoga, Pilates, or a spin class after an eight-hour shift installing rear shocks on hundreds of cars, holding a heavy, 15-inch-long air gun.

Countries like the UK, Portugal, and Belgium are embracing the four-day work week. In the UK, results from The 4 Day Campaign, a six month trial of a shorter work week, 61 companies, in partnership with researchers at Boston College and the University of Cambridge, experienced no loss of productivity, with employees reporting significantly less anxiety and burn out. A 32-hour workweek with 40 hours of pay might appear radical for factory workers, but it’s rooted in a fundamental desire for work-life balance. The work is stressful, often causing chronic pain and injuries.

In a world where corporate profits often take precedence over the well-being of workers, the UAW’s strike serves as a reminder that labor rights are human rights. As someone who spent years on the line, I know that long hours, repetitive painful work, and a relentless schedule can impact health for the rest of your life. I now walk with a cane and have a slight stoop that other women my age don’t have.

But I was one of the lucky ones. I had the courage to walk away and pursue my own American Dream. Not all workers today have that option. That’s why we need to stand behind the people on the picket lines fighting for better wages and a better way of life.

This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 5:09 AM.