Long and close
friends like Fred Ott were given many benefits, including his
house payments, and were supported the company when they
were old and infirm.
Craft skills were still demand West Orange 1890 and
27
were well rewarded. The staff the machine
shops was constantly being trimmed and the number workers
changed each week Edison and his managers strove keep the
work force lean. Yet the other end of
the skill ladder, some experimenters and skilled machinists
remained with Edison for long periods time. Edison
often shared the profits with those employees who were
especially useful and who had demonstrated their loyalty to
him. This might be
in the form royalties percentage extremely
profitable invention, share one Edison's
.Ill- 19
blacksmith and draftsman each earned more than Fessenden, who
was trained experimenter with broad range experience. During the electric light period, Edison said that he
intended pay back the "boys" who helped him.
Edison was well aware that the payroll constituted the
bulk the cost running the lab.
The one thing that motivated the muckers work and
scheme their way the enviable status becoming one of
the "boys" was the chance profit from invention. The Edison industries acquired reputation of
firing workmen when economic conditions turned bad, and the
lower skilled levels the work force there great deal of
turnover indicated the wage records
