Why do white-collar employees believe they are more valuable than the production workers who are actually taking part in making the end-product?

I'm referring to Tesla's office workers who apparently believe they are indispensable and superior to the factory workers. I don't think there's anything wrong with Tesla telling them, "Hey, if our factory workers can show up to work everyday and bust their butts, you office workers, who are generally making more money - doing less work - should not have an issue showing up for work."

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redredred · M

I worked in an old fashioned production line company making electric can-openers, electric engraving tools, bug sprayers etc. for name brand companies. The biggest contract was for assembling appliances for a major name brand.

The white-collar office workers maintained that contract and re-negotiated it every time it expired. Eventually we lost it to a Chinese enterprise. The office switched to finding new contracts, 75 production workers were let go. They were too expensive to compete with Chinese slave labor.

Who was more valuable?