The Labor Force at Waltham Watch during the Civil War Era

Abstract

The Waltham system of labor force recruitment and treatment is well known to students of American economic history. Inaugurated by the Boston Manufacturing Company at Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1813, the system was widely copied in the establishment of New England textile villages for several decades. And, since the textile industry was the leading manufacturing activity in the United States until the Civil War, the Waltham system for a time formed the core of industrial relations in manufacturing.

The Battle for Brainpower: The Role of Market Intermediaries in Lateral Hiring

“…Although LH is not a new concept in contemporary management discourse (see Gitelman, ), our understanding of the practice has largely been based on perspectives of the so‐called three parties, which include the target employee, current employer, and outside employer (Gardner, , ; Gardner et al ., ; Sheldon and Li, ). Surprisingly, our understanding of the role of other parties in LH is limited, as studies on the subject have developed in isolation and lack clarity on a number of unresolved issues such as the identification of quality talent with unemployment status (see Stephenson and Lewin, ; Ballinger et al ., ).…”

The Ethics of Lateral Hiring

“…The earhest evidence of these arrangements comes from a detailed history of a Civil War watch manufacturer. Gitelman (1965) noted an agreement between the watch manufacturer and a local textile manufacturer not to hire each other's workers. In a classic study of labor markets, Myers and MacLaurin followed 1500 workers that moved between thirty-seven companies in one city over six years.…”