Difference between revisions of "325--2011--Week 5 Questions/Comments"
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(→1913 Watertown arsenal’s striking workers’ petition to end Taylorism) |
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Many men at the Watertown arsenal were more than upset with taylorism. We see stores everyday (like Lowes recently) cut back on certain aspects of the company to make more money. In this case, taylorism literally changed the dynamic of the workplace. Artisans who had practiced their craft for years were no longer able to make a living like they were before. Men were forced to work at a much faster pace than they were used to, and many men were not even physically able to due the work that was laid in front of them. The letter also states that with a decrease of skilled artisans in the workplace, the quality of work done decreased with the increase of unskilled workers in the arsenal. | Many men at the Watertown arsenal were more than upset with taylorism. We see stores everyday (like Lowes recently) cut back on certain aspects of the company to make more money. In this case, taylorism literally changed the dynamic of the workplace. Artisans who had practiced their craft for years were no longer able to make a living like they were before. Men were forced to work at a much faster pace than they were used to, and many men were not even physically able to due the work that was laid in front of them. The letter also states that with a decrease of skilled artisans in the workplace, the quality of work done decreased with the increase of unskilled workers in the arsenal. | ||
The one thing that caught my eye was the part about the watch. Since watches were becoming popular during this time period, it is interesting to see that the workers hated them. Since employers could now time their employees on production rate, there was a scare for the workers for two reasons: 1) because it makes them work much harder than most of them are physically capable of and 2) because employee-employer relations worsened as the employers took a much more direct control of worker's output. -Patrick K. | The one thing that caught my eye was the part about the watch. Since watches were becoming popular during this time period, it is interesting to see that the workers hated them. Since employers could now time their employees on production rate, there was a scare for the workers for two reasons: 1) because it makes them work much harder than most of them are physically capable of and 2) because employee-employer relations worsened as the employers took a much more direct control of worker's output. -Patrick K. | ||
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| + | The Watertown arsenal had good reason to be concerned by the introduction of the stop watch and scientific management. In addition to their complaints of having to work too hard for too long and being generally made into living machines I find their concern over how these new methods and inventions changed the relationship between worker and employee utterly. The new method of work ethic favored the employer mightily, by making the work simple enough for unskilled laborers to do it, like migrant workers, whom would take a job for any pay. Speeding up the process made current workers upset enough, but again, those who were docile and desperate enough could always fill the need of the employer for a speedy worker who could work at any length of time. And when that one is totally burnt out, the simplicity of the job made it a simple matter to get someone to replace him. The workers here had very good cause to be concerned. - Scott Birney | ||
== 1939 textbook on scientific management == | == 1939 textbook on scientific management == | ||
