Letter to Henry Ford from the Wife of an Assembly Line Worker, 1914

The complete text of the letter follows:

January 23, 1914

Please pardon the means I am taking of asking you for humanity's sake to investigate and to pardon my seeming rudeness but Mr. Ford I am the wife of one of the final assemblers in your institution and neither one of us want to be aggitators [sic] and thus do not want to say anything to make anyone else more aggrivated [sic] but Mr Ford you do not know the conditions in your factory. We are all sure or you would not allow it--

Are you aware that a man cannot 'Buck Nature' he has to go to the toilet and yet he is not allowed to go at his work-- He has to go before he gets there or after work. The chain system you have is a slave driver! My god! Mr. Ford-- Couldn't there be a man ready to step in and releive [sic] a man when Nature calls-- All it needs is a personal investigation on your part Mr. Ford of a couple of hours and I'm sure you wouldn't allow it.

Also when you are working-- working-- working & have to keep a it & yet don't feel well-- Have the grip-- as my husband has & instead of being home where he should be he is working would you stand for a foreman 'God daming' [sic] you to hurry-- slave driving you-- God's name should be used in reverence instead of curing these poor men. That $5 a day is a blessing-- a bigger one than you know but oh they earn it-- How much luckier you are that God has given you what he has instead of putting you in one of these men's places-- Please investigate and thank you Mr. Ford--

P.S. Could you please investigate this also. My husband is furnished with tools (special) & then its deducted from his wages--Then the tools with his overhauls [sic] are repeatedly stolen because they have no lockers. They have to just throw their overcoats & overhauls [sic] anyplace. Not even a place to hang them & his lunch in consequence has been stolen time and time again. Please