Men Employees

Men Employees. Auburn Automobile Company Workers. , "No salesman can 'talk' quality into a car that has not been built into it," said E. L. Cord. Thus, the men empioyed by the Auburn Automobile Company and Duesenberg inc., were charged with the demanding task of meeting Cord's high expectations Men were responsible for the administration of the company, the design, engineering and most of the labor required to build the automobiles. These responsibilities were performed within the arena of one of the most competitive markets in the free world. Lacking technology used by modern industry, the building of an automobile in the early twentieth century was very labor intensive. , The peak year of automobile production in the city of Auburn was 1927, when more than 14,500 cars were built. Nearly 600 workers (12 percent of the city population) constructed an average of 48 cars per workday. A larger and more modern Auburn automobile plant opened in Connersville in 1929. It employed as many as 2,500 workers. The standard week of work was Monday through Saturday, consisting of ten hours of work and an hour for lunch each day. During times of maximum production, 12- to 16 hour workdays were not uncommon. Starting pay for most workers was 25 cents per hour. The average pay for experienced Auburn factory workers was 55 cents per hour in 1936. Fringe benefits were minimal.