Mass-Production Automation and Work-Group Solidarity in the Post-World War II Automobile Industry

Abstract

Did mass-production automation trigger a decline in shop-floor militancy in the post-World War II period? Was it responsible for deskilling and atomizing once militant occupation groups? Drawing on a rich array of archival and interview evidence, this article addresses these questions by tracing the impact of automation on the most militant work groups in the American automobile industry. These were the work groups who performed stamping, body-building, and trim operations. The findings suggest that mass-production automation failed both to atomize and to deskill these militant occupational groups. An alternative explanation for post-World War II declines in shop-floor militancy is proposed in the conclusion.