Henry Ford

　　Although Henry Ford's name is closely associated with the concept of mass

　　production, he should receive equal credit for introducing labor

　　practices as early as 1913 that would be considered advanced even by

　　today's standards. Safety measures were improved, and the work day was

　　reduced to eight hours, compared with the ten-or twelve-hour day common at

　　the time. In order to accommodate the shorter work day, the entire

　　factory was converted from two to three shifts.

　　In addition, sick leaves as well as improved medical care for those injured

　　on the job were instituted. The Ford Motor Company was one of the first

　　factories to develop a technical school to train specialized skilled

　　laborers and an English language school for immigrants. Some efforts were

　　even made to hire the handicapped and provide jobs for former convicts.

　　The most widely acclaimed innovation was the five-dollar-a-day minimum wage

　　that was offered in order to recruit and retain the best mechanics and to

　　discourage the growth of labor unions. Ford explained the new wage policy

　　in terms of efficiency and profit sharing. He also mentioned the fact that

　　his employees would be able to purchase the automobiles that they

　　produced -- in effect creating a market for the product. In order to

　　qualify for the minimum wage, an employee had to establish a decent home

　　and demonstrate good personal habits, including sobriety, thriftiness,

　　industriousness, and dependability. Although some criticism was directed at

　　Ford for involving himself too much in the personal lives of his employees,

　　there can be no doubt that, at a time when immigrants were being taken

　　advantage of in frightful ways, Henry Ford was helping many people to

　　establish themselves in America.