Shifting gears: Auto workers assess the transformation of their industry.

Abstract

Theories of the labor process, motivation and commitment at work, and workers' choices in concessionary bargaining are examined through the experiences of U.S. auto workers interviewed about the transformation of their industry since 1981. Experience of the labor process prior to the downturn of the industry was found to construct a relationship between workers and employer that conditioned workers' expectations for the actions of their employer once profitability was reestablished. Workers' understandings of the transformation, their willingness to grant further concessions and to cooperate in the future restructuring of the industry were affected. Assumptions about the labor process, such as "deskilling" and unilateral control by employers are debunked. It is shown the workers possess job-specific skill acquired in the accommodation of non-routine conditions in the production process. Skill, valued by the employer, is retained where needed by the internal labor market that creates career tracks, representing different levels of investments and skill. The labor process is found to be a negotiated relationship based on the investments workers make in their career in the plant, including skill acquisition, and on their recognition of the employer's need for their job-specific skills and effort. "Effort bargains", negotiated daily between workers and foremen in order to achieve production goals, are the concrete manifestations of the contract at work. These bargains vary in type and value by skill level, resulting in a varying sense of "ownership" of the production process that varies positively with skill level. This sentiment affects workers' definitions of what constitutes a "fair" exchange between themselves and their employers. In evaluating the transformation of their industry and the actions of their employer, workers with the highest skill levels are the most critical of the returns granted by their employer for sacrifices made during the downturn of the industry claiming they are unlikely to make further accommodations, while workers with lower skill levels are more satisfied and more willing to cooperate in the future. The data for this case study were collected in a Ford manufacturing plant. Fieldwork and 75 interviews were conducted in the period between the 1982 concessions contract and the 1984 contract.