The Square Deal
Radio Diaries
Radio Diaries & Radiotopia
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2015
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When George F. Johnson died, the nation witnessed one of the largest funerals in U.S. history. What did Johnson do? He made shoes. Lots of them. 100 years ago, the Endicott Johnson Corporation, headquartered in upstate New York, was the largest shoe factory in the world. But George F. Johnson wasn’t only famous for his shoes. He also became known for his views on how a company should treat its workers. Some people called it “welfare capitalism.” Johnson had a different name for it: The Square Deal.
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| 0:00.0 | Radiotopia. |
| 0:02.0 | From PRX. |
| 0:05.0 | From PRX's Radiotopia. |
| 0:09.0 | This is the Radio Diaries podcast. |
| 0:11.0 | I'm Joe Richman. |
| 0:12.0 | And we're starting the podcast today from downtown Brooklyn on Fulton Street, |
| 0:16.0 | because today I'm going to tell you a story about shoes. |
| 0:20.0 | And on this street right here, there must be tens of thousands of shoes for sale. |
| 0:25.6 | There's Dr. Jay's foot action. |
| 0:28.6 | Across the street, there's House of Hoops, there's Jimmy Jazz, |
| 0:31.6 | Payless, Sneakers, Sneakers, Sneaker Spot, Fino's Sneakers, |
| 0:35.6 | $5 shoe warehouse, and we're right now in front of Fulton Island Sneaker Spot, Fino's Sneakers, $5 shoe warehouse, and we're right now in front of Fulton Island Sneaker Heaven. |
| 0:42.3 | And we're going to go inside. |
| 0:44.3 | My name is Ralph, and you are in a sneaker heaven footwear. |
| 0:48.3 | Ralph, can you just give us a little tour of all the shoes you have here on display? |
| 0:53.3 | Like these days, LeBron James is popping, so LeBron 8, LeBron 9, LeBron 10. |
| 1:00.0 | This one is the most popular one, he's called What the LeBron. |
| 1:04.0 | What the LeBron? |
| 1:05.0 | What the LeBron. |
| 1:07.0 | One foot is different color and another foot is different color. |
| 1:10.0 | So you have to wait it like that. That's a pair actually came from the Nike. Can you take those out? Yeah, of course. I have to say that's the ugliest sneaker I've ever seen in my life. I said it, but the people are looking for it is $500 a pair, so people want them. Do you like it? I wouldn't waive it personally for myself, but business-wise, |
| 1:29.2 | I love it. I've gone through 10-pair the shoe. What the LeBron. $300 million worth of those |
... |
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