Re: RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $120 AN HOUR!!

retrogrouch_at_comcast.net
Date: 06/05/04 

Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 17:11:29 GMT

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 11:45:27 -0500, "Bob" <no@email.address> wrote:

><retrogrouch@comcast.net> wrote in message
>news:hbt3c0t7u5l10cmt84o15jrj9vnfar2elb@4ax.com...
>
>> "One argument against the assembly line was that the work was
>> monotonous. Ford almost conceded this point when he said, "There is
>> not much personal contact-the men do their work and go home." Ford did
>> keep his factories well lighted and ventilated, and he worked hard to
>> prevent accidents on the job. But the work was not challenging. Partly
>> as a result, he (and many other industrial employers) had high rates
>> of turnover and absenteeism. Ford found himself spending $100 to train
>> each new worker, though many stayed only for a month or two and then
>> quit.
>>
>> "Ford's reaction to this problem was dramatic: in 1914 he doubled his
>> minimum wage to five dollars a day and cut daily working hours from
>> nine to eight. The experiment caught the industrial world by surprise.
>> His competitors were startled; his workers were energized. Ford
>> himself was ecstatic. Some of the most talented workers in Detroit
>> lined up by the thousands to apply for jobs with Ford. He couldn't
>> hire as many as he would have liked because turnover and absenteeism
>> almost disappeared overnight.
>>
>> "No one wanted to lose his job. As a result, production surged and
>> profits skyrocketed. Ford happily paid the higher wages and also cut
>> the price of the Model T by over 10 percent in 1914, 1915, and again
>> in 1916. With each cut, more and more of his workers could afford to
>> buy the cars they were making.
>>
>> Ford was delighted to violate "the custom of paying a man the smallest
>> amount he would take." And yet "[t]here was ... no charity in any way
>> involved.... The payment of five dollars a day for an eight-hour day
>> was one of the finest cost-cutting moves we ever made." Ford was so
>> pleased that in 1922, when Model T sales began to top a million a
>> year, he raised his minimum wage to six dollars a day. Meanwhile, he
>> cut the price to about $300. With all of their manufactured steel,
>> vulcanized rubber, and processed plate glass, Model Ts were selling at
>> about 25 cents a pound-perhaps the best bargain in the industrialized
>> world.
>
>An excellent example of free market
>capitalism without interference from
>government.

Which works even better when implemented across the board at a minimum
level, eliminating free riders.

________
Conservatives whine about the Liberals controlling the world
like the Nazis whined about the Jews controlling the world.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $120 AN HOUR!!
    ... Ford almost conceded this point when he said, ... Some of the most talented workers in Detroit ... > hire as many as he would have liked because turnover and absenteeism ... he raised his minimum wage to six dollars a day. ...
    (sci.econ)
  • =?windows-1252?Q?Ford=92s_Plan_to_Cut_Costs_Falls_Sh?= =?windows-1252?Q?ort_in_Union_Vote?=
    ... Ford’s Plan to Cut Costs Falls Short in Union Vote ... Changes to the workers’ contract that would have allowed the cuts appeared headed for certain defeat Saturday after about 72 percent of workers voted to reject the deal, according to a tally compiled by The New York Times from results at separate plants. ... Ford needed 9,000 more votes for passage, with fewer than 7,000 votes outstanding to be either cast or counted through Sunday. ... At the Dearborn Truck Plant, 93 percent of the votes were cast against the agreement; 53 percent of workers casting their ballots at the Romeo Engine Plant voted against the deal. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: Msian minister says no to minimum wage
    ... it would be invite more foreign workers. ... I've always liked foreigners, especially my very ... Without the minimum wage, foreigners are already flooding our shores. ... workers in Malaysia remain below RM 400 a month. ...
    (soc.culture.malaysia)
  • Re: Complain Letter Car Discrimination
    ... What "skilled worker" cannot afford to buy a Ford or GM product? ... The idea of buying an extra car just to make your work ... about workers at Land Rover or Aston Martin - should they drive Fords ... The underlying principle was that employees should be free to spend ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • > Democrats SHAME Socialist UAW Slapdown! Ford Bends Over UAW For a Stuffing!
    ... Ford Workers Accept Cuts in New Deal ... The UAW pact also allows Ford to use company stock to make payments to ... its payments, which would pay retiree health care benefits. ...
    (alt.politics)