End of the Line: Autoworkers and the American Dream

by Richard Feldman (Editor), Michael Betzold (Editor)

Overview

"This marvelous book captures in a most poignant and accurate way what life is like for the millions who still make up the 'blue collar' backbone of American industry."—Barry Bluestone, author of The Deindustrialization of America
 
"A richly detailed, well-crafted portrait of a cross section of autoworkers in the midst of an identity crisis and a crisis gripping the U.S. auto industry."—Frank Hammer, President, United Auto Workers Local 909
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780252061486
Publisher:	University of Illinois Press
Publication date:	10/01/1990
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

Editorial Reviews

Feldman, who has worked for 16 years at Ford's Michigan Truck Plant, interviewed 30 of his fellow-workers to gather material for this book, written with Detroit Free Press reporter Betzold. The subjects talk about their lives, their jobs, their families, their futuresand the tone is profoundly pessimistic. They judge assembly-line work to be boring and demeaning but find compensation in their wages, which run between $30,000 and $70,000 a year. They see the dominance of the American automobile ending and hope they reach retirement before their plant closes. Many have little regard for their union and almost all believe that the job outlook for their children is grim. The authors conclude with a rousing chapter on what can be done to insure a brighter tomorrow for the working class. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly