United labor bulletin., 1911-05-11
THE TAYLOR SYSTEM.
Scheme Evolved BY a Manufacturer to
Drive Workmen at Top Speed With
out Regard to Physical
Endurance.

Washington-For several days a
delegation from the United States
arsenal at Rock Island, Ill, has been in
Washington making an effort to have
eliminated the Taylor system now being
result resolution has been introduced
in Congress for an investigator and re-
ferred to the labor committee. This COM
mittee held its first hearing on this mat
ter Friday, April 2S. This system is
brutal in its application. Work is di
vided, sub-divided and re-subdivided for
the purpose of alloting to a workman a
single operation. In the subdivision
work is so arranged thar workman
only completes a small per cent. of the
whole operation. So far this may be
termed section" work. and is in vogue
in numerous industries. But after the
subdivision and allotment has taken
place the Taylor system introduces a
new feature to drive workmen at full
speed A workman selected for GER
tain operation or section of work must
measure up to a high standard as re-
CARDS physical energy, deftness and me-
chanical skill. He is then assigned a
certain task, an inspector is placed over
him fortified with stop watch turn
an instant of relaxation, splitting or any
movement not in accord with exactness
required is instantly caught by the stop
watch and recorded against the work
man. The highest speed attainable, after
experimenting with the most skillful and
highest speed workmen, becomes the
standard of efficiency for every man to
be employed on that particular opera
ton No consideration is to be given
the average workman, no matter how
proficient he may be- as the system def
nitely calls for very severe process
of elimination, and any man that cannot
reach the high standard set is to be
thrown out
The object of the system is to trans
form every factory and workshop into
an Industrial speedway. The Santa Fe
installed a similar plan called the Emer-
son system, but it has proven a failure.
The government has commenced the in
stallation of the Taylor idea at some of
its works aside from the arsenal at
Rock Island The overhead" charge is
greatly increased. The overhead"
charge refers TO the necessary machin-
cry to keep the plan in operation Elab-
crate plans are first prepared. inspec-
tors galore are necessary and when the
full cost of the product is computed the
overhead" charges stand out so conspic-
uous that, even though the workmen are
driven at headlong speed. no saving has
been effected. Apart from this, work
men, laboring under such high pressure.
soon succumb to the high tension and
voluntarily leave their employment
Then their places must be filed, and in
this effort a constant tTy-out is in opera
ton at all times, with the result that
workmen are constantly harassed and a
iS rha- iS
nothing more than an automaton the
feeling of interest in the work assigned
TO the various workmen is entirely elm
mated
Mr.. Taylor acknowledges that out of
eight men only one reaches the mark of
proficiency under his system. The work
men are influenced to reach the limit of
their speed and endurance by promised
increases in pay But under this plan
the skilled workmen are to be almost en-
tirely eliminated. The work being so
or laborers are substituted for the skilled
mechanic after system is inaugurated,
The increases allowed to the unskilled
workmen sometimes run from so to 100
per cent, yet does not reach the wage
paid to the skilled mechanic. 1t is only
another plan to destroy unions. for work
men are absolutely to be dealt with in
dividually. the representation by COM
mittees to be done away with.
The Grand Lodge of the Machinists
has sent communications to all locals
asking them to take up this matter in
their respective locals and appoint a
committe to investigate the Taylor sys-
TEN. W. A. Alger. n. r. Tustison and
W. C. Murphy were appointed by No. Al
Monday night.
PLUMBERS GET iNL.,EAsE.