I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 22 The Kind-Looking Capitalist

Although she knew that with her entire fortune and the effort she could put in, talking about shares in the face of millions of dollars was indeed laughable, Anne did not give up.

On the contrary, in this situation, she needs to demonstrate her value even more.

And Anne is indeed a thoughtful person.

The process of attending the theater training class was also a process of expanding her network.

As a result, she gained a lot of information about Chicago garment factories by befriending tailors who designed costumes for theaters.

This information also helped Logan acquire one of the larger garment factories at a lower price.

Logan thus gained firsthand experience of the factories of this era.

Logan's acquired garment factory is located in a modern steel-structured high-rise building.

The building has 10 floors and is 135 feet tall, with each floor having a usable area of ​​approximately 9000 square feet, while the garment factory occupies two entire floors.

Logan then realized that most of Chicago's manufacturing plants were not the large industrial buildings built by industrialists like Henry Ford, nor the kind of factories that Fritz Lang imagined in his futuristic work "Metropolis," but rather smaller, more private "in-building factories."

For example, this building houses dozens of independent garment factories, forming a small garment manufacturing industry chain.

Inside the acquired garment factory, Logan saw Odes elevators, Bell telephones, Singer sewing machines, as well as safety exits, staircases, and fire buckets. There were also no-smoking signs on the walls to prevent fires.

Doesn't it look completely different from the much-criticized sweatshops?

Haha, that's because I haven't seen the more specific work environment yet.

Two hundred sewing machines were crammed into each floor, arranged in more than ten narrow rows. Workers’ chairs were placed back to back, along with many other equipment, cutting tables, hangers, fabric, clothes, and various scraps and garbage, filling the 9000-square-foot space to the brim.

As the factory manager showed Logan and Annie around the factory, he explained,

"All the factory workers are women because male workers are paid at least twice as much as female workers. Hiring female workers can effectively reduce costs, and female workers are easier to manage."

"They have to strictly abide by all the factory's rules and regulations. Their meals, toilet breaks, and get off work hours are all strictly monitored. They work 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week."

Logan remained expressionless. "Can you really guarantee one day off per week?"

The factory manager chuckled awkwardly, "Well, although they have fixed days off, due to the seasonal nature of the garment industry, they generally can't get off on time."

Seeing that Logan didn't react much, he mustered his courage and continued, "During peak season, production increases, and female workers need to work overtime, sometimes until 9 p.m., um, starting work at 7 a.m.."

Logan felt there was no need to ask about overtime pay.

How much are the workers paid?

"The factory determines wages based on individual skills, from the lowest-level trainees who cut thread ends to highly skilled sample makers, each level corresponds to a different wage level."

The factory manager, carefully considering the new boss's attitude, said cautiously, "Generally speaking, female workers who are skilled at using sewing machines and have certain techniques and experience earn between $8 and $12 per week..."

Anne followed behind Logan, listening and watching the female workers in silence.

The factory windows are mostly closed to create a suitable humidity environment for spinning yarn and cotton fabric, which keeps the factory at a relatively high temperature.

The air was thick with cotton wool, and the occasional cough of the female workers could be heard. In addition, they had to endure the clattering of hundreds of machines working simultaneously, as if they had sewing machines living in their ears. Even so, the female workers could only work silently, and didn't even have time to pay attention to the arrival of the new boss.

Anne knew that many of the female workers here, like her, had come from the countryside to work in Chicago.

They not only want to earn wages and achieve corresponding economic independence, but also hope to see and experience more novel things in the city.

Most of them have little education and few professional skills, and can only make a living by selling their labor. Entering the garment industry is already a relatively respectable choice.

Chicago's garment industry is largely based on small, family-run factories with long hours, extremely low wages, and the risk of gender discrimination and abuse from employers. As a result, female workers prefer to work in large garment factories.

But the so-called large garment factories are nothing more than disguised and concealed "sweatshops".

"...In their wages, because of the use of the factory's needles, thread, machines, and electricity, there are deductions for various expenses such as the cost of the needles, thread, electricity, and machine wear and tear."

"Yes, they sometimes pay extra fees, such as fines, compensation for damaged items, etc..."

Anne knew that if she hadn't chosen to work at the bar and hadn't been tricked by Logan, she would likely have been one of them.

She was glad she had found the right person to partner with, and she was even more eager to integrate into Logan's business empire, rather than being a dispensable employee.

Thinking this, Anne moved closer to Logan, as if to show that her relationship with Logan was extraordinary.

Logan paid no attention; he was simply lost in thought:
With such working conditions and intensity, even a hundred years from now in America, aside from illegal immigrants, ordinary Americans would never be able to get a factory job, even if they became homeless.

Even today, American men are toiling day and night in countless factories where conditions are likely far worse.

There are reasons why the United States' economy, which was already the world's largest at that time, was still on the rise.

After touring the factory, Logan made demands of the remaining factory manager: "You must transform the current production line into an assembly line; at the same time, improve the environment, add ventilation openings to the windows to allow dust and fumes to escape; the fire exits must be unobstructed; and, oh yes, no child labor..."

The factory manager listened attentively, and an expression of disbelief and admiration gradually appeared on his face. "Boss, you have such a kind heart! You are a truly good person!"

He leaned closer, his voice low but filled with heartfelt sincerity, "But please allow me to be frank, you don't need to spend so much. These female workers, the fact that you didn't deduct their wages is already a great kindness!"

Logan was speechless upon hearing these strangely familiar words.

His original calculations were nothing more than the cold logic of modern management: improving the environment can enhance focus, reducing the rate of injury and illness is equivalent to reducing downtime, and eliminating child labor can extend the working life—ultimately, it's all about squeezing productivity more persistently and efficiently.

Logan initially thought the factory manager was being sarcastic, but when he saw the man's sincere yet worldly eyes, he realized that he genuinely believed the boss was being kind.

Even Annie looked proud: This guy may be a bit of a jerk, but he's still a boss with a conscience!

Logan: "..."

What else could he say?

It can only be said that society is indeed progressing.

At least a hundred years from now, his actions of not increasing wages or adding holidays while demanding higher efficiency and exploiting workers will only be condemned as those of a dead capitalist, not genuinely regarded as a kind and benevolent philanthropist!

……

(End of this chapter)