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From: danw@oliven.UUCP (danw)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: a monopoly
Message-ID: <745@oliven.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Dec-84 22:57:05 EST
Article-I.D.: oliven.745
Posted: Thu Dec  6 22:57:05 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Dec-84 03:34:08 EST
Organization: National Cobalt Testing Range
Lines: 41

[] ( please excuse the reposting this is worth reading twice. )

>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
                  ---------------------------------------------

(-:	This is just the sort of monopoly we will ALL have to live with
when we are  "slaving" away under a repressive libertarian regime.
	I continue to support mindless socialism.  I know that my industry and
profession will be secure , no mater how incompetent any of us are.
( I KNOW that a "proper industrial policy" will surely support my industry 
at the expense of others . )
	Far better the promise of womb to tomb security, than the cold,
hard reality of hard work and opportunity!           :-)



							danw