He said he learned to be cool under pressure while a teenager, when he was a production-line supervisor at a tomato-packing factory.

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"Selim's a good motivator, " says Johnny W. Futch, a production supervisor, who led the two-month effort.

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In contrast, across all age groups and education levels, government figures show that the average age-adjusted hourly wage for workers in production and non supervisor roles have, in fact, risen 3% in the same time period.

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