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Henry Ford is a legendary name in American history.
The founder of the Ford motor company changed the world forever when he was able to change the automobile from an expensive luxury to something for everyone.
This made him very rich indeed.
But it was his attitude towards his workers that made him very unusual for the time.
In 1914, he offered $5 (about $140 today) a day for eight hours of work in a car factory in Detroit.
This was excellent pay for the time and led to thousands of people lining up outside.
The wage was more than double the average factory wage
The length of the work day was also one hour less than the usual nine-hour shifts most Americans were working.
Ford had realized that by introducing the excellent pay, he would be able to retain the workers who would be prepared to handle the pressure and monotony of working on the assembly line.
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It was also said Henry Ford increased his workers’ pay so they could actually buy cars for themselves.
Experts think this move helped create what is now known as the American middle-class.
In his book “Wheels for the World, the historian Douglas Brinkley wrote: “Up to that bold moment in January, no business had ever nodded to the importance of the labor in such a dramatic and costly way. The $5 Day marked, if any one date could, the end of the Gilded Age.”
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