QuoteIt is my impression (and correct me if I am wrong) but when these factory jobs were actually prevalent most people did not consider them good jobs.
Pay was enough so people could live independent lives. There was enough for freedom. There was enough for dreams. Most people are just trying to keep up now. Freedom is when money meets needs with some extra left over. But the big reason for the nostalgia of the factory job is the social connections that went along with having one.
You were a 'winner' in a world of losers.