Evening star., 1943-10-03

plans mlgnt De called the group 1ncen-
tive. Under this system, the company
offers to pay so much for a certain Job
say, group of staterooms, an inner
flooring, so much armor plate, sons
other part Of ship. If the workers
who undertake the job can finish 1t in
less time-in other words, for less money
they receive the proffered amount
just the same. %"
These jobs are computed in work
hours, since the cost usually is on that
basis. The time study department es-
Inmates how long the job should take.
This estimate Is based on past records,
with due allowance for unavoidable de-
lays. The figure is submitted to the
foreman who is to supervise the work.
He checks it carefully, and goes over it
with time study. He may suggest some
revision.
When he and the department agree
on fair allowance, the estimate is
submitted to the workers whom the
foreman has gathered for the particular
job. If any of them objects that the
figure is too low, that not enough work
hours have been allotted, the estimate
goes back for further check, But these
prellmlnarles do not delay the work
they are carried out far enough in adj
vance of the time it must begin. and
usually, too, they are brief Long ex-
perlence has taught the time study peo-r
pie, the foreman and the more expert
enced mechanics the equities of such
estimates.
The Job Ticket. .'
With an estimate accepted by all
concerned. the time study department
issues what Is known as a job ticket,
and the crew is ready to hop on what
ever 1t is they're supplying.
Say, the management has offered TO
pay the equivalent of 1000 work hours.
and the workers finish it in 1000 hours.
Then they've made time and a half over
their base hourly wages. This NAV be
an extreme example and is cited merely
by way OF illustration. But company
records reveal that on most of these
Jobs the workers have made something.
sometimes handsome bonus. And.
with one job out of the way, they're
ready to jump into another.
Pieceworkers share in the plan. So
does common labor, along with skilled
artisans.
Everybody, in fact benefits from the
plan.
The feremen and other supervisory
men, who work on straight salary, have
budgets for their departments. II they
cut under their budgets by hurrying I'D
the work, by turning it out more quickly.
they get the full budget just the same
and are ready to spend a fresh allot-
ment on new jobs.
The company is glad to pay the extra
sums. Contradictory as it may sound,
this means more money for the company.
The Government pays bonuses for ship,
turned out ahead of schedule. Moreover
when one ship steams away, there's space
on ways to start aonther immediat teIy,
Getting the Ships Out.
And there's another motive besides
money to which no one concerned Is
blind while this war RACES
The whole idea" foreman COM
mented, ''is to get the ships delivered
at the earliest possible moment"
you bet," agreed a grizzled member
Of his crew. Those things are not help
ing Hitler or the Japs either" He
pointed to the endless row of forms
looming gigantic over the water in the
drizzly twilight
Incentive systems are no novelty to the
company. 1t was pioneer in expert
menting with them. For 25 years 1t has
had bonus systems Of one sort Of another.
And we're still experimenting with
them and adjusting them" an official
explained.
To understand why the present system
necessarily is so complex, it must be re-
called that shipbuilding is not one trade,
but many. There are carpenters, black
smiths clippers, boilers, wood caulkers,
riggers, stage builders, steelvorkers,
woodworkers. paintmakers, welders,
rlveters, machinists, joiners-to name q
few of them.
Twenty-four hours day the work
goes on here-three shifts each laboring
eight hours. Overtime is used only In
emergencies and paid for at time and a
half. The incentive plans, it was ex-
planned. usually speed up the work
sufficiently
This is labor critical area, but the
plant has managed to do pretty we'll
under all the difficulties Only skilled
workers are deferred from the draft.
times is problem.
Workers Carefully Chosen.
Yet Personnel Manager E J. Robson,
jr. and his staff do not hire any one
who happens to come along The work
is too important. They try to get those
who can make a definite contribution ]
Mr.. Robson has been with the company
more than 80 years and knows the Ship.
building industry. He can't be fooled
easily.
In the lines of workers passing as the
shifts change, you'll see men of so, even
10, who are experts at certain Jobs and
still can do them efficiently-jobs like
pattern-making and others more active,
And you'll spot young fellows who don't
look over Is. Some of the kids, still ap-
prentices, make as much as $40 a week.
Women are employed largely In Office
work, though there are some In the
shops. But shipbuilding is a rough,
tough job-one largely for men with.