Ford Motor Company
Five dollars. Eight hours. Starting the 12th.
All-hands · Highland Park · Monday, January 5, 1914
Pay envelope
Ford Motor Company
- Day
- One
- Hours
- 8
$5.00
Highland Park Plant
01 / What happened last year
In 1913 the line moved. 12.5 hours became 93 minutes.
Chassis assembly time
1h 33m
- 01Frame
- 02Axles
- 03Engine
- 04Seat and column
- 05Wheels
02 / The number that's broken
We hired 52,000 men last year to keep about 14,000.
370% labor turnover, 1913
- Hired
- 52,000
- Walked out
- 38,000
- Still here
- 14,000
03 / The decision
From the 12th, the minimum day pays five dollars.
- Was$2.34
- Day8 hours, down from 9
- StartsMonday, January 12
$5.00
04 / What changes for you: pay
Per hour, your pay goes up 2.4 times.
Old day
$2.34
9 hours · 26¢ an hour
New day
$5.00
8 hours · 62.5¢ an hour
- Old pay
- $56.16
- New pay
- $120.00
- More in your pocket
- $63.84
- Hours you get back
- 24
05 / What changes for you: hours
Three shifts of eight. The line never stops.
1913Two shifts of nine
From Jan 12Three shifts of eight
- 1 hour shorter day for you
- 6 hours more line time a day
- Up to 5,000 new men for the third shift
06 / Why we're doing it
This is not charity. Turnover costs more.
- 370%
Turnover
Every man who quits takes his training with him. We pay to teach the next one.
- 93 min
The line
A moving line is only as fast as the men who stay on it.
- $10M
The cost
Our own estimate of what the raise costs a year. We think steady men are worth it.
07 / What we expect
The $5 is a profit share. It comes with a home visit.
Your base rate stays $2.34. The rest is paid once the Sociological Department is satisfied with how you live. Investigators do not call ahead.
Sociological Department
Profit-sharing eligibility · Home visit
- Age Over 22
- Service Six months or more
- Home Clean and orderly
- Children Attending school
- Savings Regular bank deposits
- Drinking, gambling None to speak of
Approved for $5
08 / What's not changing
The car stays. The line stays. The pace stays.
-
The Model T
One car, built one way, at Highland Park.
-
The line
It moves. The work comes to you.
-
The pace
Eight hours at line speed. Not nine at walking speed.
09 / Questions
Six questions you were going to ask. Six short answers.
- Do I get $5 on the 12th?
- If you qualify. Your rate is $2.34 plus a profit share, paid once your home visit is approved.
- Who qualifies?
- Men over 22 with six months on the payroll, living the way the Sociological Department likes.
- Are women included?
- Not in this plan.
- Will someone come to my house?
- Yes. An investigator. They will not call first.
- My brother-in-law wants a job.
- Hiring is closed. Please ask him not to come to the gate.
- Does the line slow down?
- No.
10 / What's next
Monday the 12th, three shifts start. Hiring is closed.
-
Mon, Jan 5
Announcement
You are here.
-
This month
Home visits begin
Sociological Department investigators start their rounds.
-
Mon, Jan 12
$5 day and three shifts
Eight-hour shifts start. The line runs around the clock.
Postscript, Monday, Jan 12
Thousands of job seekers at the gate in nine-degree cold. The plant used fire hoses. Next time, put "hiring is closed" in the headline.
Ford Motor Company