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It is strange that the author attributes the eight-hour workday to Henry Ford's business strategy. It had been a demand raised by workers themselves from much e

It is strange that the author attributes the eight-hour workday to Henry Ford's business strategy. It had been a demand raised by workers themselves from much earlier: “Eight hours labour, Eight hours recreation, Eight hours rest.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day

mattm 13y ago
But at that time it was relatively rare. Moving to an 8 hour day and only 5 days a week was unheard of at companies as large as Ford.
dspillett 13y ago
I think he was attributing the 5 day working week to Ford rather then the hours/day. 8/8/8 could result in a 48 hour week if you work six days, as many factory workers used to.
kropotkin 13y ago
Exactly. This article needs some better research. The real history of the eight-hour work day is intertwined with the history of worker's movements beginning in the mid 1800's. Ford was nothing more than an opportunistic Capitalist (hint: they all are). If you're interested in this subject, I suggest learning about the NLU, the Knights of Labor, August Spies, Haymarket, etc.
kybernetikos 13y ago
Yeah, shame that for most people the time they need for eating, household chores and commute cut only into the recreation/rest hours, and often do so enough that there's very little recreation left.
- toyg 13y ago
  That's actually a contemporary problem. Back then, only men would work a full day; women would deal with household chores and preparing food, so when a man came home, in most cases he wouldn't literally raise a finger for 8 hours (except maybe to get some coal or logs). Also commuting was non-existent, people lived close to factories in most cases. The truth is that, when it comes to work arrangement, we failed to keep up the struggle: we now work more (in productivity terms) and for less pay than we did in the XIX century.
caf 13y ago
The Eight Hours Monument stands opposite the Trades Hall in Melbourne: http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/8Hours1.jpg http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/sl...

mattm 13y ago

But at that time it was relatively rare. Moving to an 8 hour day and only 5 days a week was unheard of at companies as large as Ford.

dspillett 13y ago

I think he was attributing the 5 day working week to Ford rather then the hours/day. 8/8/8 could result in a 48 hour week if you work six days, as many factory workers used to.

kropotkin 13y ago

Exactly. This article needs some better research. The real history of the eight-hour work day is intertwined with the history of worker's movements beginning in the mid 1800's. Ford was nothing more than an opportunistic Capitalist (hint: they all are). If you're interested in this subject, I suggest learning about the NLU, the Knights of Labor, August Spies, Haymarket, etc.

kybernetikos 13y ago

Yeah, shame that for most people the time they need for eating, household chores and commute cut only into the recreation/rest hours, and often do so enough that there's very little recreation left.

toyg 13y ago
That's actually a contemporary problem. Back then, only men would work a full day; women would deal with household chores and preparing food, so when a man came home, in most cases he wouldn't literally raise a finger for 8 hours (except maybe to get some coal or logs). Also commuting was non-existent, people lived close to factories in most cases. The truth is that, when it comes to work arrangement, we failed to keep up the struggle: we now work more (in productivity terms) and for less pay than we did in the XIX century.

caf 13y ago

The Eight Hours Monument stands opposite the Trades Hall in Melbourne: http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/slides/8Hours1.jpg http://www.thecollectormm.com.au/gallery/photography/City/sl...