Posted on 04/21/2015 2:36:13 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
Does anyone remember the name of the company and its founder that was famous (I believe back in the 50's) for having a very progressive view of its employees?
I believe they were the first in America to provide lots of benefits including health, child care, wellness programs, etc.
They started out well, but ultimately went bankrupt.
I'm asking because it seems as if Google and other companies are following in the same footsteps, and if history is any guide, will end up becoming bankrupt as well.
Uncle Sugar?
Was it: Twentieth Century motor Company?
Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation?
15 seconds!
Henry Ford offered a $5.00 day salary when the going rate was $2.25.
He did OK, as did his employees and his company.
Never heard of them. But I did find this....
Very interesting....
Carmichael, 37 in 1974, claimed to be the widow of a NASA structural engineer, a mother of five, and a farm girl from Indiana.[2] In reality, she was actually a transsexual undergoing sexual reassignment to become female. Her former, biological male identity, Jerry Dean Michael, had been wanted by the police since 1961 for alleged involvement in a counterfeiting operation. The company would ultimately prove to be fraudulent when Carmichael went into hiding with investors’ money.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twentieth_Century_Motor_Car_Corporation
Reader’s digest was like that.
So (I believe) was Polaroid.
It was much earlier but Henry Ford is responsible for a lot of the labor reforms the unions claim credit for today. Things like 5 day workweeks, 8 hour days vs 10 and 12 hour days for higher pay. He was also extremely frugal and used scraps to start Kingsford charcoal company. I’ve also read that he demanded that parts be delivered on high quality wood pallets so he could use the wood.
It wasn’t as much a matter of kindness or altruism that drove him as a keen business sense. It doesn’t make sense to work your employees to death and more efficient higher paid employees had more leisure time. More leisure time combined with higher pay meant buyers for his cars.
Yup. See post 9.
He did OK, as did his employees and his company.
Darned right! The workers did NOT want to risk losing that job, and were super productive. There were no unions to slow down the new hire who worked hard and fast, threatening him for making the old timers look bad!
Naturally, the gravy got very thin after they went public and last time I checked, it was gruel and brown stood for Hitler's favorite color.
Heard that about Polaroid, as well.
When did UPS unionize?
And yes, they are masters of efficiency. Things like “how to enter and exit the vehicle”, the list goes on and on.
Eastman Kodak?
One of these?: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41027460/ns/business-us_business/t/most-memorable-companies-vanished/
Kodak is another possibility.
Ford could do those things in a world with far lower taxes and much less regulation.
Too bad liberals can’t figure that dynamic out.
I was told, "This is right-to-work state but you'll want to join the union." In my naivete, I figured I should attend a union meeting, since I was a member. LOL. I learned everything I needed to know about unions then, although I had ample opportunity to learn other things along the way in various places, none of which was contradictory.
About 12 years ago I worked their p/t for the insurance. Nothing was the same. It was a miserable shell of itself without any of the goodies. Very sad. The manager was a dyke.
Both companies were not able to adopt/adapt to the digital world.
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