Public radio had a neat story about lean manufacturing in the garment industry, the
Transcript is on their site.
Some bits I liked ...
"[Before] it was just me doing a bundle. And I used to finish the bundle, tie it up and just put it aside," she says. "But now, I do a sleeve and I have to pass it on to the other operator. It's just, it's just a little nerve-wracking."
Workers like Almeida could have fought the changes. After all, they're members of a union, UNITE-HERE. But instead of resisting, union leaders actually helped management sell the new system to its members.
"Knowledge does not come suddenly," Pepicelli says. "It comes through years of experience � and sometimes, comes through knocking your head against a wall."