I was slightly struck by "this is less than we ask of factory workers". I was a factory worker working 55+ hour weeks and it is... idk weird to see people using that like "you're not that so don't complain".
I think the underlying point is a massive pay discrepancy or “you’re not special” but could def read it as “we even expect it out of x” more than “you’re not special”
That email was directly sent to execs. I assume a significant part of their task is to oversee work at the factory. I understood it as "the factory workers are coming in, you're the boss so you should too"