Last Thursday, May 16, a veteran worker at the sprawling Ford Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, collapsed and died on the shop floor after his shift at the body shop somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. The deceased worker was identified as Darius Williams. Co-workers on the afternoon shift told the World Socialist Web Site that Williams was one of the highest seniority workers in the plant with 33 years at Ford.
His team leader reported that Williams had said good night before walking toward the exit with no sign of pain or discomfort. Workers nearby saw Darius crumpling to the floor unresponsive just before reaching the exit door.
An emergency response team attempted to revive Williams with a defibrillator but their efforts failed. As of this writing, there has been no report of a medical diagnosis to explain the sudden death of Darius Williams.
Over the last few years there have been scores of deaths at the Rouge complex. The company is systematically intensifying the rate of exploitation, laying off entire shifts and doubling and tripling the number of jobs an individual operator must perform. Many report that older workers are especially targeted for the grueling treatment in a deliberate effort to force them into early retirement, disability or death.
Workers at a recent factory meeting called by management reported that a co-worker defied intimidation to denounce this deliberate policy. He said:
They just double up jobs for the people who have high seniority—make them do two jobs and wait for them to drop dead. The speed-up is pervasive and many workers do not speak out, because the union has done nothing to defend their co-workers who have.
Here Here Absolutely. Also see: expensive healthcare “insurance”. Being overworked can have a person too exhausted to work out, or do much of anything outside of thier labor hours. When healthcare is too expensive and you can’t get a day off to go anyway, when your whole body hurts from repetitive exhaustion, add in poor sleeping, and yeah, poor habits form.
Night shift folks have it the worst too. Most still have families, and sleep very little so they can spend time with them.
So many factors are at play. To ignore them, is to concede to smug ignorance. I know these people in these factories. I know these men. I’ve worked for years along side so many.
I can see how its broken them, especially the men. I had to beg my position in a male dominant position, because ten years prior a woman got degloved, and for a time, they didn’t let women into that department, because it’s fucking hard. I got in and did the job very well, but damn yeah, the work was hard. Even just ten years of that shit will change your entire body and habits to cope. Something as simple as getting fast food for lunch, because you’re too tired to prepare anything outside of work, repeat that habit daily for 20 years, it adds up.
RIP to this man. He is one of but many, yet his impact is not lesser on my heart. Stay safe out there folks