Life on the Line

Their actual “shift” started with three toots of a steam whistle. And when it was over about a half-hour later, they each had a new appreciation of life on the line.

The UAW-GM Simulated Work Environment (SWE) Media Class was held at General Motors’ Orion Assembly Plant in Lake Orion, Mich., on March 29. The goal of the class, a joint effort by the UAW and General Motors Corp., was to give the media who report on autoworkers a hands-on impression of life on the line.

Four teams of metro-Detroit area journalists had roughly 3.5 hours of SWE training to learn manufacturing concepts such as built-in quality, continuous improvement and standardization.

Although UAW members make it look easy, these novices quickly realized that the work environment in an assembly plant is full of challenges, including speed, accuracy, teamwork and limited use of cell phones.

“There’s no tweeting on the line,” said one reporter.

To see a snapshot of what life on the line was like for some of the reporters, visit uaw.org/articles/reporters-experience-life-line