Automobiles transformed transportation, prior the preferred mean of transportation was walking or being carried by a horse; automobiles made travel quicker, more efficient, and more reliable. Advancements with Fords Model T and the creation of the assembly line, revolutionized the automobile industry, in addition to production in similar ways. This rudimentary process, known as the assembly line, reduced production cost and created a more efficient assembly.
The assembly line allowed for automobiles to be mass produced, albeit, the workers paid the price for the improvement. The pay they received for the monotonous labor was $2.34 a day, while the Model T’s sold for $850 (Stanford, 2014). Consequently, workers built an automobile they could not afford. It would take 364 working days or 60 weeks of paying no other expenses to afford the automobile. This raises ethical questions. Is working considered, working for income to meet your needs or selling yourself to a business?
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With the introduction of the assembly line the work environment became hot, dangerous, dirty, and repetitive. Employees would routinely quit; a change was needed in regards to the condition, pay, and shifts. To alleviate the issues, the pay was increased to almost double at $5 per hour, and one working hour from the day was removed. This helped retain workers, but at what cost? Danger pay provided compensation for the conditions and hours. Which begs the question of how much is a life worth? Or at what point does danger pay go from compensation to bribery in order to deal with dangerous conditions? Is it right to set prices for goods so high that workers cannot afford the products they are producing? As a society at what point does the cost of living affect the standard rate of