Diary of a Ford Employee

Dear Diary,

He’s a saint! Am I dreaming? Today this heaven-sent manager announced his bold new idea. Most likely the best words I have ever heard from a man in all my life! Henry Ford announced today that he has increased our daily salary from the minimum wage of $2.39, to $5.00! I could not have asked for anything better. We barely had enough money to eat at night with the terribly low salary of $2.39. He even added that we will only be working 40 hours per week now! The thought of it makes even this cold January day seem warm as a summer afternoon. This kind of income is the kind that makes it possible for me to support my wife, my six kids, and myself, with enough money for comfort. Oh, I know, I shouldn’t be all that excited yet, but I just know this is the start of something great!
However, I guess I do deserve this at least somewhat. After all, Mr. Ford has strict rules for his employees, and he has used his security to crush a heck of a lot of union strikes. I mean, he’s even got a former Navy boxer working as his head of service! It’s like the US Marines down at the factory. I can not begin to tell you about the testing we had to pass to be working for Ford. I mean, it’s only men, you have to be over the age of 22, there’re psychologists, you can’t drink, you can’t gamble, and over a hundred inspectors are keeping you in line when you’re working! Everyone’s calling his labor tactics extreme, and Wall Street is already getting worked up about these new wages, but the word I’m thinking of is something along the lines of genius. After all, this man isn’t out to please us.
I’ve worked for Mr. Ford long enough to know his strategies. In fact, the only employees allowed at the factory are all of us who have been working there for at least six months. By increasing the salary he knows he’s getting a benefit. With this salary we’ll all be able to afford the cars that we ourselves make every day. He’s selling, and we’re buying. It’s all going the way he wants it to.
There are those who call Henry Ford a “robber baron”. Can you believe it? A robber baron!? How can they claim that he is stealing money from the poor when he is increasing our salaries? I for one will not remember him as a corrupt person. With the trust and the leadership that he shows towards us, there is an unspoken need for respect. I know that I won’t be doing anything to have this privilege taken away from me.


With Joy,
A Ford Employee