What was also important is that we had a very strong union, the
International Woodworkers of America, protecting us and ensuring that we got
a good wage. The present day 24/7 employee is not likely to be in that
position.
Ed
Ed Weick wrote:
When I was in my teens I spent fourteen months working in a sawmill which
was part of a huge pulp and paper mill. We worked three shifts, changing
every couple of weeks. Day shift was 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Night shift was 5
p.m. to midnight; and Graveyard was midnight to 8 a.m. It's probable
that
people who work in large operations that are difficult to shut down and
start up still work shifts like that.
Shift work is still of the "9 to 5" kind, albeit shifted. "24/7" is
different -- it refers to an around-the-clock availability of the wage
slave that is fostered by e-mail and cell-phones. People have been fired
because they dared to turn off their private cell-phone (during their
"leisure" time!) so they didn't "see" a new order from the boss in time.
(Self-employed "one-person companies" are also often exposed to "24/7",
waiting for orders from customers.)
The shift workers of the old days couldn't even dream of such a level
of exploitation -- they at least had their leisure and sleep times and
their weekends for themselves.
Chris
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