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From: lvc@cbscc.UUCP (Larry Cipriani)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: a monopoly
Message-ID: <4239@cbscc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 12:11:07 EST
Article-I.D.: cbscc.4239
Posted: Mon Dec  3 12:11:07 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 19:32:23 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories , Columbus
Lines: 25

A company that has been operating for several decades in an unregulated
market without patent protection and has what most people would call a 
monopoly is "Lincoln Electric" of Cleveland Ohio.  Lincoln has had a 95%
market share for several years.  It makes electric welders.

They have never laid off a worker, and the have always made a very good
profit (or nearly always).  Lincoln's workers once voted down a proposed
air conditioning system fearing the company's profits would suffer (they
have a profit sharing plan).  When the company has to cut back in the
number of hours worked, everyone's work week is shortened.  There is also
a generous reward paid to workers that submit cost saving suggestions.
Lincoln's employees are non-union, and have repeatedly voted down going
union by very wide margins.  Other companies could take a lesson from
Lincoln's employment and management practices.

Lincoln has been getting competition from Japanese companies recently but
they are still doing quite well last I heard.

The company was the subject of a Fortune magazine article once. 

To be fair, I've heard complaints from people that worked there once.
They were criticized by their coworkers for not working hard enough !

				Larry Cipriani
				cbscc!cbsch!lvc