MTFCA Forum

I just heard on NPR Henry instuited the 5.00 work day.

The $5 day wage by Ford was a hiring ploy. Ford got to chose from the 10 thousand applicants the very best workers. With the best skillful Ford could speed up the assembly line with less mistakes on assembly. The Ford company made more profit by paying a higher wage.

I learned something new. For some reason, I thought it was instituted in 1913. Anyway, the revolutionary $5.00/day wage was an incentive for Ford workers to put up with all they had to put up with to work for Ford. At the old wage, it was not worth it to the highly trained Ford workers to put up with the brutal and repetitive working conditions, controlling regulations instituted by Ford that stretched into their personal life and the abusive line supervisors/overseeers, so they quit left and right after a short time. At least the $5.00 made it worth it so Ford did not have to spend so much training new employees to replace the ones that quit. After implementing the $5.00 wage, Ford actually saved money by not having to train and re-train so many replacement employees so often. So attractive was the new wage that there were mobs of thousands clamoring outside the Ford gates, trying to get in to apply for a position. Jim Patrick

And then finally some of them had money to buy HIS Fords!! Keep it in the family they say!

Pretty good for 1914. My first permanent job paid $55 a week which would be $11 per day. That was in 1956.
Norm

There were many hooks to that 5 dollar day!! Bud.

Very true Bud. As I recall, first of all, they didn't actually GET the entire $5 per day in "one fell swoop"
Sadly, my lame brain can't remember the details. Also attached to that was a "specific life style" they had to conform to.
Like no smoking, maybe even drinking? Henry dictated a lot of their lives. I believe the wives weren't allowed to work?

I don't think many [Wifes] worked outside the home until WW2?? Bud.

My first job was breaking tires in a junk yard for 10 cents each with a mechanical bead breaker for 10 cents each .I'd do 80 a day . that was in 1962, young and stupid.