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MissMillie

(38,553 posts)
Wed Jan 29, 2014, 10:23 AM Jan 2014

The Middle Class Took Off 100 Years Ago ... Thanks To Henry Ford?

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/27/267145552/the-middle-class-took-off-100-years-ago-thanks-to-henry-ford


....January 1914 was a frigid month in Detroit — much like January 2014 has been, but nonetheless thousands lined up in the bitter cold outside to take Henry Ford up on an extraordinary offer: $5 a day, for eight hours of work in a bustling factory.

That was more than double the average factory wage at that time, and for U.S. workers it was one of the defining moments of the 20th century. Five dollars in 1914 translates to roughly $120 in today's money. While many economists say today's employers could take some pointers from Ford, they also say 2014 is a totally different world for U.S. businesses and workers.




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People who work for lower wages put ALL of their money back into the economy immediately.
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