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Company scrip

Company scrip

Company scrip is scrip (a substitute for government-issued legal tender or currency) issued by a company to pay its employees. It can only be exchanged in company stores owned by the employers.[1][2][3] In the UK, such truck systems have long been formally outlawed under the Truck Acts.

In the United States, mining and logging camps were typically created, owned and operated by a single company.[4] These locations, some quite remote, were often cash poor;[1][2][3] even in ones that were not, workers paid in scrip had little choice but to purchase goods at a company store, as exchange into currency, if even available, would exhaust some of the value via the exchange fee. With this economic monopoly, the employer could place large markups on goods, making workers dependent on the company, thus enforcing employee "loyalty".[4][5]

Lumber company scrip

In 19th century United States forested areas, cash was often hard to come by.[1][2][3] This was particularly true in lumber camps, where workers were commonly paid in company-issued scrip rather than government issued currency.[3]

In Wisconsin, for example, forest-products and lumber companies were specifically exempted from the state law requiring employers to pay workers' wages in cash.[3] Lumber and timber companies frequently paid their workers in scrip which was redeemable at the company store. Company-run stores served as a convenience for workers and their families, but also allowed the companies to recapture some of their labor expenses. In certain cases, employers included contract provisions requiring employees to patronize the company stores. Employees who wanted to change their scrip to cash generally had to do so at a discount.[3][4]

Lumber company scrip was redeemable in lumber as well as other merchandise. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, such an option may have appealed to new settlers in the region, who worked in the lumber camps in winter to earn enough money to establish a farm. Taking some of their wages in lumber may have helped them build a much-needed house or barn.[3]

Coal company scrip

Coal scrip is "tokens or paper with a monetary value issued to workers as an advance on wages by the coal company or its designated representative".[6] As such, coal scrip could only be used at the specific locality or coal town of the company named. Because coal scrip was used in the context of a coal town, where there are usually no other retail establishments in that specific remote location, employees who used this could only redeem their value at that specific location.[7] As there were no other retail establishments, this constituted a monopoly.

The country musician Merle Travis makes a reference to coal scrip in the song, "Sixteen Tons" on the Folk Songs of the Hills album and made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Modern practice

The practice has been documented as recently as 2019. On September 4, 2008, the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice ruled that Wal-Mart de Mexico, the Mexican subsidiary of Wal-Mart, must cease paying its employees in part with vouchers redeemable only at Wal-Mart stores.[8] On May 21, 2019, Washington Post published an article highlighting Amazon's new system of "gamification", which rewards employees who complete high numbers of orders with Swag Bucks, which can then be used to buy Amazon-themed merchandise.[9]

See also

  • Company town

  • Truck system

  • Private currency

References

[1]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comGinsburg, David (2006). "Chapter 2: How Gold Coins Circulated in 19th Century America". In Winter, Douglas (ed.). Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1838-1909. Zyrus Press.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[2]
Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgTaylor, George Rogers (1951). The Transportation Revolution, 1815–1860. New York, Toronto: Rinehart & Co. pp. 133, 331–4. ISBN 978-0-87332-101-3.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[3]
Citation Linkwww.wisconsinhistory.org"Lumber Company Scrip". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 24, 2008.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[4]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comGreen, Hardy (2010). The Company Town: The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills That Shaped the American Economy. Basic Books.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[5]
Citation Linkstars.library.ucf.eduGibson, Ella (August 1, 2014). "Episode 25 Company Scrip". A History of Central Florida Podcast. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[6]
Citation Linkwww.amazon.comEdkins, Donald (2002). Edkins Catalogue of United States Coal Company Scrip Volume 2 West Virginia. Huntington, West Virginia: The National Scrip Collectors Association. p. xxvii. ASIN B0006E5ZQY.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[7]
Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgEdkins, p. xxviii
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[8]
Citation Linkwww.reuters.com"Court outlaws Wal-Mart de Mexico worker vouchers". Reuters. Sep 5, 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[9]
Citation Linkwww.washingtonpost.comBensinger, Greg (May 21, 2019). "MissionRacer: How Amazon Turned Tedium Warehouse Work Into Game". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[10]
Citation Linkarchive.is"Coal mine scrip collectors to meet"
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[11]
Citation Linkwww.middlesborodailynews.comthe original
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[12]
Citation Linknationalscripcollectors.orgNational Scrip Collectors Association
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[13]
Citation Linknationalscripcollectors.orgScrip Definition
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[14]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comGold Coins of the New Orleans Mint: 1838-1909
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[15]
Citation Linkwww.wisconsinhistory.org"Lumber Company Scrip"
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[16]
Citation Linkbooks.google.comThe Company Town: The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills That Shaped the American Economy
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[17]
Citation Linkstars.library.ucf.edu"Episode 25 Company Scrip"
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[18]
Citation Linkwww.amazon.comB0006E5ZQY
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[19]
Citation Linkwww.reuters.com"Court outlaws Wal-Mart de Mexico worker vouchers"
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM
[20]
Citation Linkwww.washingtonpost.com"MissionRacer: How Amazon Turned Tedium Warehouse Work Into Game"
Sep 26, 2019, 5:51 PM