Over a period of six years, at factory and warehouse, at the tavern across the road, in their homes and union meetings, on fishing trips and social outings, David Halle talked and listened to workers of an automated chemical plant in New Jersey's industrial heartland. He has emerged with an unusually comprehensive and convincingly realistic picture of blue-collar life in America. Throughout the book, Halle illustrates his analysis with excerpts of workers' views on everything from strikes, class consciousness, politics, job security, and toxic chemicals to marriage, betting on horses, God, home-ownership, drinking, adultery, the Super Bowl, and life after death...--Inside front cover.

Introduction : Part 1 : Life Outside Work : The residential setting -- Leisure -- Marriage and family -- Conclusion to Part 1 ; Part 2 : Blue-Collar Work and the Automated Factory : An automated plant : Overview -- The production worker in an automated plant -- Support workers : mechanics, laboratory technicians, packagers, warehouse workers -- Conclusion to Part 2 ; Part 3 : The Limits of Mobility at Work : Solidarity and Dispute : Occupational mobility and security -- Solidarity and dispute -- Conclusion to Part 3 ; Part 4 : Politics and Class Consciousness : Politics and the structure of power : democracy and freedon -- Position in the system of production : the concept of the working man -- Position outside work : income level, standard of living, and residential situation -- Nationalism and populism -- Conclusion to Part 4 ; Part 5 : A Sociology of the Mediocre : Religion, Ethnicity, and National Rituals : Religion -- Ehtnicity -- National holidays and cults -- Conclusion : Class and politics in America -- Appendix : Supplementary Tables.