SOLVED. sci fi about workers who depend on a scheduled spaceship to leave a planet which swings out of the habitable zone every so many years, and then political issues with some sort of galactic empire [s]

[Brandon]

I think this was published in the 70s or 80s. I can't remember the author, or anything about the title. It may have even been in a compilation of shorter stories, as I remember a first part with a factory worker on Earth, although I remember nothing about what he does. Then there's the section on a planet where people are employed to harvest a resource, but the planet is swinging out of the habitable zone and they need a scheduled ship to leave the planet before they're either frozen or burned to death. The ship doesn't arrive. After a lot of discussion and argument, people decide to leave with some sort of automated large vehicles to get to the other side of the planet where another ship may dock. The vehicles require modifications to support the people. Most of the section deals with the engineer who does the modifications and how he fixes issues on the migration to the other terminal. Once that section ends (I don't remember how) there's a part about someone who is abducted and put in a spaceship and locked in a cabin until the appropriate time. I seem to remember something about an empire and tense political discussions.

[Peter]

Sounds like Wheelworld by Harry Harrison, though I don't remember it very well. I believe it was part of a series.

[Brandon]

SOLVED! Wheelworld is indeed the book. Thanks!