Your work. Your records.
Packaging Machine Operator Workplace Records
Packaging and filling machine operators monitor output while responding to jams, rejected items and changes in product or packaging. A workplace concern about speed or a machine interruption should distinguish those events. Describe your assigned station, the instruction you received and the employment response without assuming that every stopped line has the same cause.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Run context
List the package format, changeover and required quality checks relevant to the performance concern.
Downtime sequence
Record the observed problem, report time, instruction and work you performed while normal production was interrupted.
Review and response
Keep your own evaluation, correction request and any revised explanation together with their original dates.
Start with the work you actually do
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers who pack food products.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders (51-9111.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.Source task 3142 · updated 07/2017
- Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.Source task 3134 · updated 07/2017
- Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.Source task 3129 · updated 07/2017
- Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards.Source task 3124 · updated 07/2017
- Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.Source task 3127 · updated 07/2017
- Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.Source task 3136 · updated 07/2017
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders (SOC 51-9111). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $15.37 | $18.18 | $22.17 | $37,820 |
| Alaska | $17.75 | $18.62 | $22.87 | $38,730 |
| Arizona | $17.60 | $19.50 | $23.32 | $40,560 |
| Arkansas | $17.00 | $18.15 | $21.58 | $37,740 |
| Connecticut | $17.55 | $18.97 | $22.56 | $39,460 |
| Delaware | $17.69 | $18.51 | $21.85 | $38,500 |
| Florida | $15.31 | $17.87 | $21.80 | $37,170 |
| Georgia | $17.09 | $20.64 | $25.50 | $42,920 |
| Hawaii | $15.51 | $17.70 | $18.85 | $36,810 |
| Idaho | $17.91 | $22.46 | $25.13 | $46,720 |
| Indiana | $17.50 | $21.44 | $24.09 | $44,600 |
| Iowa | $19.62 | $21.95 | $24.79 | $45,660 |
| Kansas | $18.16 | $21.58 | $23.37 | $44,890 |
| Kentucky | $18.58 | $21.85 | $25.30 | $45,450 |
| Louisiana | $14.41 | $18.45 | $22.66 | $38,370 |
| Maine | $18.80 | $23.06 | $28.19 | $47,970 |
| Michigan | $17.45 | $20.05 | $23.32 | $41,690 |
| Minnesota | $18.26 | $19.69 | $23.16 | $40,960 |
| Mississippi | $14.58 | $18.14 | $19.70 | $37,720 |
| Missouri | $20.31 | $23.11 | $27.41 | $48,070 |
| Montana | $17.70 | $21.32 | $24.47 | $44,350 |
| Nebraska | $18.54 | $22.22 | $23.75 | $46,220 |
| New Hampshire | $22.32 | $23.78 | $27.90 | $49,450 |
| New Mexico | $15.36 | $17.13 | $18.97 | $35,640 |
| New York | $17.46 | $18.91 | $22.95 | $39,330 |
| North Carolina | $17.38 | $19.78 | $23.65 | $41,150 |
| North Dakota | $21.14 | $22.78 | $24.61 | $47,390 |
| Ohio | $17.83 | $20.82 | $23.65 | $43,310 |
| Oklahoma | $17.40 | $18.90 | $21.46 | $39,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $17.91 | $21.39 | $24.15 | $44,480 |
| Rhode Island | $17.78 | $18.43 | $25.54 | $38,330 |
| South Dakota | $18.70 | $21.09 | $22.49 | $43,860 |
| Tennessee | $17.31 | $20.77 | $24.03 | $43,190 |
| Texas | $16.29 | $18.73 | $22.29 | $38,950 |
| Utah | $18.02 | $21.05 | $23.96 | $43,780 |
| Vermont | $18.66 | $22.44 | $23.68 | $46,670 |
| Virginia | $17.30 | $21.61 | $25.54 | $44,950 |
| West Virginia | $17.73 | $22.31 | $26.71 | $46,410 |
| Wisconsin | $18.83 | $22.22 | $24.04 | $46,220 |
| Wyoming | $18.75 | $23.51 | $28.27 | $48,890 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Describe the run and quality requirements
Identify the general product and package format, your assigned checks and whether the run involved a changeover. Note when weight, labeling or packaging instructions changed and who communicated them. If a review cited output, record what the measure counted. Separate accepted packages from rejected or reworked items rather than relying on a single total.
Record the interruption sequence
For a jam or equipment problem, note what you observed, when you reported it and the direction you received. Describe any reassignment, waiting period or quality check that followed. Do not speculate about a mechanical cause outside your knowledge. Identify a maintenance or production record that may clarify the event without altering or removing it.
Use personal records and protect product data
Keep your own schedule, time entry, pay statement and permitted employment messages. Do not export label files, customer shipping details, product formulas or restricted machine settings. Your timeline can describe a labeling or filling issue in general terms. If exact operational records are needed, identify the approved system and custodian for review.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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