The documentary American Factory doesn’t outwardly take sides, but its participants do, and their words speak louder and more clearly than any pundit could. While not apocalyptic or predictive, American Factory could be described as symptomatic. In this case, the disease is capitalism and the symptoms are all too common.
When the General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio shut down in 2008, 2,400 workers lost their jobs just two days before Christmas. In 2014, the plant was bought by a Chinese auto glass company called Fuyao, ushering in an air of optimism for the struggling community. Fuyao was committed to hiring American workers to fill the factory’s floors who would work alongside a small percentage of Chinese specialists brought in from the main branch in Fuqing, China. For a time it’s all smiles, as the Americans are hopeful for the stability and honest wages they had with GM. But, the honeymoon doesn’t last for long. Between low wages, anti-union enforcement, illegal safety practices, and cultural and language differences, this small factory in Dayton soon becomes a microcosm for the worldwide capitalist exploitation of workers everywhere.
The Chinese workers and managers take classes to help them understand the culture of their new homes away from home and how to cope with the unacceptable laziness of the American worker. In turn, American managers are sent to China to see how things are run there. It’s amusing to watch them walk around the factory completely baffled by the level of commitment the Chinese workers have for their company and the lax safety standards that no one seems to notice or care about.
It’s painful to watch as hope turns to despair and desperation as the plant cannot live up to anyone’s expectations. The climax of the film centers on a vote to unionize, which the owners and lackeys are completely against from day one. The level of anti-union propaganda the company puts out is staggering, and listening to the “union avoidance consultant” that’s hired is very close to insulting. American Factory is a lot of things, but what it plainly and becomes is a startling example of why unions are necessary and a reminder that management is never on the side of the worker.
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.