71
70 Employee Records, Edison Laboratory Time Sheets, 1918, Box 115. Edison responded this crisis discharging thousands of
employees from factory laborers John Constable, chief engineer the
laboratory.
This period marked slow decline after the boom World War 1917
government contracts created many new jobs West Orange and the work force
increased significantly.72 1921, was estimated that less than 2000 workers remained in
the factories West Orange. the West Orange
laboratory this movement can seen the type man hired the twentieth
century. The
process specialization and bureaucratization can seen the emergence a
new kind employee West Orange, the accountant and financial analyst.70 After the initial loss workers the armed forces, there
was rapid increase the labor force, covering both laboratory and factory
employees. Lines authority were
constantly being redefined and strict hierarchy was maintained the West
Orange laboratory after 1914. The
old era muckers—experimenters who worked with Edison-and all night
experiments was over.73 Retrenchment continued the financial
33
.
But this was only temporary prosperity.
71 "The Business Activities Mark Jones," Mark Jones Papers, Box Jones was employed by
Thomas Edison, Inc. The post-war depression hit
hard 1921. its place was tightly run business operation.
72 Miller Reese Hutchison Diary, January 1921. the end the
hostilities there may have been many 11,000 men employed Edison at
West Orange. from 1916 1921, first Employment Supervisor and then Director Personnel."
73 "Business Activities Mark Jones," Mark Jones Papers, Box 1.generalists the nineteenth century. When returned West
Orange after working for the government during the war, Edison was concerned
about the hard times ahead; correctly anticipated greater competition his
core phonograph and storage battery businesses. Hutchison also notes that Edison "clipped Charles’
wings. The professionalization the work force
was widespread the American economy this time. There were around 180-190 men work the laboratory
during World War I.
The laboratory work force was reorganized several times during this period. During the war there were about 8,000 men the whole Edison
complex compared with about 3,000 the turn the century. The old work culture which glorified personal initiative and operated in
an environment chaos was being slowly replaced
