Wednesday 4 November 2009 Shanghai Daily A6 OPINION www.shanghaidaily.com/opinion Saying farewell to Qian Xuesen, father of Toyotism or unionism: our space program By the time Qian finished US workers try Japan the fifth version, he put the paper into a folder on which Terutomo Ozawa Illustration by Zhou Tao/Shanghai Daily he wrote “final.” Then he im- mediately added on the side US President Obama has been sup- “Nothing is final!” porting a new bill, the Employee Free After Germany surren- Choice Act, designed to promote labor dered in World War II, the US unions’ drive for unionization. Army gave Qian the rank of This bill, if enacted, will surely be a Colonel. Qian was founding big boon for unions as it enhances their director of the world-famous bargaining power vis-a-vis businesses. Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) at An important issue here, however, is Caltech, and performed many how such reinforced unionism contrib- important missile projects for utes to the US’ much-needed industrial John Gong the US military. competitiveness and employment — and, more specifically, how this new THE heavy yet beautiful snow Qian was persecuted at the height of the McCarthy era. policy will affect the US as a host to in Beijing on Sunday was FDI in the auto industry. clearly tears from “above” to But the Caltech president Lee DuBridge and Qian’s In 2008, GM yielded its world’s lament the passing of one man top position to Toyota. Unfortunately, whose legacy is treasured colleagues firmly stood be- hind him, and he continued Detroit’s woes have been caused in with awe in China and can be to do research there, mainly significant part by the ever-restrictive felt in the US and many other in control theory after he lost work rules and legacy costs (ie, gener- parts of the world. his security clearance. ous wages and retirement and health At age 98, Dr Qian Xuesen In fact, the university gave care benefits) obtained by the United passed away peacefully in a This is in sharp contrast to the status of workers him its distinguished alumni Auto Workers union. hospital in Beijing this past award in 1979 in recognition For this, however, the UAW alone as “brawn” workers who are assigned to simplified Saturday. The trajectory of of his pioneering work in should not be blamed. It has been acting Qian’s life encompasses both repetitive tasks in mass production (as satirized rocket science. in its own interest within an institutional continents across the Pacific. setup that was created by the National by Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times”). In 1935, he went to MIT on Home sweet home Labor Relations (Wagner) Act of 1935, a scholarship and a year later On a rainy and windy day a law that was legislated amid the Great Japanese transplants in particular exploit labor but to create a larger pie to transferred to Caltech (Pasa- in southern California in Depression and in understandable dena, California) to pursue thrive on Toyota-style management and share with workers. Wagner Act-enabled 1955, Qian bid farewell to the sympathy with the plight of massive production. They are known for their collective bargaining disregards the size of doctoral study with Theodore US together with his wife and numbers of laid-off workers, the victims von Karman, the prominent workplace “democratization” where the a pie, even if it shrinks because of work- two children on board a ship of then-unbridled capitalism. supervisory structure is flattened and place inflexibility and disruptive strikes. aviation pioneer at the time. heading for Hong Kong. US unionism was thus fostered by It was shortly after arriving where both management and workers The transplants pay higher compen- And the rest is history, for Congress as a way of giving workers share common facilities (such as park- sation (about 20 percent more) than the at Caltech that Qian was at- China. That latter part of his countervailing power against “uncar- tracted to the rocketry ideas of ing lots, cafeterias, and rest rooms) and national average — currently employing life on the other side of the ing” management that considered them common activities (group calisthenics more than 400,000 Americans at the Frank Malina and a few other Pacific shines even more. mere cogs in the machine. students of von Karman and and recreation). average annual pay of US$63,538. Qian was the father of China’s Unfortunately, however, labor and At least, southern members of Con- their associates. space and missile programs. management have ever since been Brain vs brawn While Malina, Jack Parson gress, governors, and mayors — and Qian is survived by his trapped in a relationship that was inher- The pay/compensation gap between workers themselves — understand the and et al are hands-on ex- wife, Jiang Ying. Jiang Ying, ently antagonistic and adversarial. executives and the rank-and-file is much benefits of flexible production and are perimenters, Qian played the who married him in 1947, is a True, such unionism helped secure smaller than that in comparable US eager to attract more auto FDI to create role of a theorist, providing famed opera singer. unprecedented benefits for tens of thou- companies. Also, the transplants treat well-paid manufacturing jobs locally. many insightful calculations According to Iris Chang’s sands of US workers — so long as Detroit workers as “brain” workers who perform It is critical for law makers — and that were vital in setting the book, Qian shared with Jiang enjoyed unchallenged competitiveness. multi-tasks on a rotation basis to avoid management, as well as labor — all to directions of the project. Ying so much of the same It was, however, not long before monotonous single-task assignments. realize that the antagonistic mode of Around Caltech the dan- love of opera that they would the rest of the industrialized world This is in sharp contrast to the status labor relations institutionalized by the gerous and explosive nature sometimes rest quietly, im- had caught up, altering the competi- of workers as “brawn” workers who are Wagner Act is utterly outdated. A more of their work earned them the mersed in the music for hours tive environment. Most importantly, assigned to simplified repetitive tasks in cooperative relationship is called for. nickname “Suicide Squad.” in their modest apartment in Fordism-cum-Taylorism came to be mass production (as satirized by Charlie The story of the early days Beijing in the 60s and 70s. outcompeted by flexible production that Chaplin’s “Modern Times”). (The author is professor emeritus of rocket invention at Caltech As an enthusiast of the same was initiated by Toyota. Moreover, the transplants minimize of economics, Colorado State Univer- was later documented in detail music genre, I would dedicate Auto FDI in the US (known as “trans- layoffs and furloughs during a down- sity; research associate, Center on in Iris Chang’s biography of one song in honor of Qian. The plants”) is centered in non-unionized turn, retaining and retraining workers. Japanese Economy and Business, Co- Qian, “Trace of Silkworm.” song, “I will pray for you,” southern states. Foreign multinationals Some of these practices are emulated lumbia Business School. The material Qian was not only a gifted is from Katherine Jenkins’ there can produce automobiles cost- by US auto makers, but their manage- is reprinted with permission from the scientist, but also a perfec- album “Rejoice,” including effectively largely because of a flexible ment culture in general and the restrictive Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable tionist scientist. One event one paragraph that I note: workplace that is unencumbered by work rules in particular get in the way. International Investment. www.vcc.co- speaks volumes about his restrictive union rules. Flexible production is not intended to lumbia.edu. The views are his own.) research attitude. When your time is through Among Qian’s academic My final wish for you publications in the US was Is to count your blessings a joint paper with von Kar- not your regrets man, titled “The Buckling With peace inside your China-US military ties gain pace of Thin Cylindrical Shells soul Under Axial Compression,” And all that heaven holds Yang Qingchuan hosts agreed to further the two-way terminated. Third, there is some US published in the Journal of I hope you always know military relationship and cooperation legislation that restricts the development GENERAL Xu Caihou, vice chairman in a stable and healthy way. of the China-US military relationship. Aeronaut Science in 1941. I will pray for you. of China’s Central Military Commis- The 10-page paper, mainly While hopeful of the prospects for Most notably is the 2,000 Defense Au- sion, was in the spotlight when he China-US military ties, Xu expressed thorization Act passed in 1999. done by Qian, had over 800 (The author is an visited the United States from October pages of drafts in five differ- associate professor of eco- China’s concerns about several major ob- Another obstacle is that the US lacks 24 to November 3. stacles that may harm the relationship. strategic trust in China. China hopes ent versions behind it. Each nomics at the University of He was the first senior Chinese mili- draft version has entirely dif- International Business and The first and foremost obstacle is the the US would look at China’s military tary leader to visit the country since ferent content and sometimes Economics. His email: john- US-Taiwan military relationship. China power development in a reasonable Barack Obama assumed the presidency different analytical results. [email protected]) maintains the United States should way, not to stir up the bogus “China in January.