Although Henry Fords name is closely associated with the concept of massproduction, he should receive equal credit for introducing labor practices as early as 1913 that would be considered advanced even bytodays standards. Safety measures were improved, and the work day wasreduced to eight hours, compared with the ten-or twelve-hour day common at thetime. In order to accommodate the shorter work day, theentire factory was converted from two to three shifts.In addition, sickleaves as well as improved medical care for those injured on the job wereinstituted. The Ford Motor Company was one of the first factories todevelop a technical school to train specialized skilled laborers and anEnglish language school for immigrants. Some efforts were even made to hire thehandicapped and provide jobs for former convicts.
The mostwidely acclaimed innovation was the five-dollar-a-day minimum wage that wasoffered in order to recruit and retain the best mechanics and todiscourage the growth of labor unions. Ford explained the new wage policyin terms of efficiency and profit sharing. He also mentioned thefact that his employees would be able to purchase the automobilesthat they produced -- in effect creating a market for the product. Inorder to qualify for the minimum wage, an employee had to establisha decent home and demonstrate good personal habits, includingsobriety, thriftiness, industriousness, and dependability. Although somecriticism was directed at Ford for involving himself too much in the personallives of his employees, there can be no doubt that, at a time when immigrantswere being taken advantage of in frightful ways, Henry Ford was helpingmany people to establish themselves in America.
全文翻译:亨利福特
尽管亨利福特的名字和大生产的概念相连,但他在劳工保护上得到同样的赞誉,因为他早在 1913 年便实行了用今天的标准来衡量依然是先进的标准。 安全措施得到改进,日工 作时间从当时普遍的 10 或 12 小时减少到 8 小时。 为了适应更短的日工作时间,整个工厂 从双班变成了三班。而且,病假和改善了的工伤医疗得以制度化。 福特汽车公司是最早建立技术学校来培训专门技工和为移民开设英语学校的工厂之一。 公司甚至为雇佣残疾人和 有前科的人而作出了一些努力。最受广泛称赞的革新是实行五美元一天的最低工资。 其目 的是招收和留住那些最好的技工并阻碍工会的发展。
福特从效率和利润分享的角度来解释 这项新的工资政策。 他也提到这样一个事实,他的员工可以买他们生产的汽车--这实际上 是为其产品另开辟了一个市场。 为了够资格得到最低工资,员工必须建立一个得体的家庭 并显示出良好的个人习惯,包括节制、俭省、勤勉和可靠。 虽然有人批评福特过多地干涉 了员工的私人生活,但毫无疑问,在移民们被用恶劣的方式剥削的时代,亨利福特却帮助 了许多人在美国扎下根来。
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