THE VALUE OF BLUE COLLAR WORKERS IN AMERICA

In the text, Mike Rose seems to be talking about blue collar workers. He seems to have analyzed blue-collar workers and respects them a great deal. This is primarily because, according to him, most of his family also comprises of blue collar worker. His mother used to be a waitress, and his uncle was a supervisor for General Motor’s Body and Paint department. Hence, it is apparent that Rose has some understanding of the type of work done by blue-collar workers and what goes on in their minds while they are working to serve us(“‘Blue Collar Brilliance’ – Mike Rose”).

The question discussed in this essay is, whether the work put in by blue-collar workers like; waitresses, mason, carpenters, etc. undervalued by the American people. Reading Rose’s work, it is quite clear that he feels that most Americans do not understand the value of the work put in by blue collar workers. They think that blue-collar work is something poor people do because they did not have the brains to go to college. While the truth is quite contrary, blue-collar workers have to keep up to date with their customer’s likes and dislikes. They also have to manage a team of individuals and solve their problems. They do this by devising systems in their minds, which help them with their work.

Rose gives the example of Uncle Joe, the supervisor at General Motors. He says that Uncle Joe had to come up with a system to make the work thrilling for his team members. He did this by introducing job rotation at the plant. Rose further states that the fact that his uncle, with a seventh-grade education, managed to present management styles and tactics which only an MBA can come up with, justifies his idea about the hard work put in by blue collar workers.

WORK CITED

“‘Blue Collar Brilliance’ – Mike Rose.” Prezi.Com, https://prezi.com/fvhy9eyl5iyi/blue-collar-brilliance-mike-rose/. Accessed 6 Dec. 2017.