Meeting of the Board

In Short

In a future where labor unions have seized ownership of major corporations, Walter Towne, a veteran manager, finds himself trapped in a declining firm led by incompetent, greedy union officials. As production stalls and quality vanishes under the pressure of short-term dividend demands, Towne orchestrates a desperate "lock-in" strike, using the company's own complex machinery as a weapon against its worker-owners. This sharp, biting story tracks the inevitable collision between administrative expertise and the raw, dangerous volatility of populist control.

The Story

Walter Towne, the Vice President-in-Charge-of-Production at Robling Titanium, is a man living in the shadow of a systemic collapse. For years, the company has been owned by its workers, with union boss Daniel P. Torkleson serving as the top authority. This arrangement has proven disastrous; driven by the need for quick, semi-annual dividends to appease the ten thousand worker-shareholders, Torkleson has gutted research, ignored quality, and harassed the managerial staff. Walter is constantly bullied by the shop steward, Bailey, and warned by Torkleson that if he fails to boost dividends, he will be blacklisted across the entire industry.

Exhausted by the systematic degradation of the company he once respected, Walter consults with his fellow managers and a skeptical lawyer. They realize they are helpless unless they strike—not for better wages, but for the right to manage the company competently. They hatch a plan to "lock-in" the administrative machines, setting them into a feedback loop that renders them useless until the managers return to reset them with a secret code.

The strike begins with immediate, chaotic success. The plant grinds to a halt. Torkleson, desperate to regain control, attempts to force production of simple, low-value items like trash cans to keep the workers occupied, but the market is quickly saturated. As the machines remain locked and the company faces ruin, the workers grow increasingly restless. Torkleson tries to villainize the managers in the media and court, but his attempts to drag them to jail fail when Walter and his team refuse to back down.

The tension peaks when the workers, sensing that their own dividends are vanishing, demand a mass meeting. Torkleson, attempting to save his position, tries to whip the crowd into a violent rage against the "saboteurs." He parades Walter before the ten thousand workers, hoping to scapegoat him for the crisis. However, Walter seizes the microphone. Instead of begging, he exposes the truth: Torkleson has been enriching himself while the workers have gained nothing. He reveals that the "code" to unlock the machines is literally the name of the union boss. The crowd, realizing they have been played, turns on Torkleson. In the aftermath, Walter is left to manage the transition, eventually finding himself elected as the new secretary of the union, leaving him to navigate the irony of leading the very organization he once fought.

How It Unfolds

A morning of dread Walter Towne struggles through his daily commute, dreading another confrontation with his abrasive union overseers. He reflects on how a once-proud corporation has been dismantled by years of mismanagement and union-dictated quotas.

The ultimatum Torkleson, a bloated and corrupt union boss, threatens to ruin Walter’s life unless he produces an impossible dividend increase. Walter realizes that he has nothing left to lose and begins to plot a radical rebellion.

The sabotage The management team successfully locks the plant’s complex data machines into a permanent feedback loop. They leave the office, effectively paralyzing the corporation’s ability to function without their expert intervention.

The public stalemate While the media reacts with shock and confusion, the company attempts to survive by producing useless trash cans. Torkleson’s attempts to break the strike through legal intimidation and force fail to yield results.

The final confrontation Walter confronts the entire workforce at a mass meeting, turning the tide against Torkleson by exposing his greed. The workers, stripped of their illusions, purge their leader and pivot toward a new, albeit uncertain, future.

The People

Walter Towne is a veteran production manager who wants only to run a successful company. He is initially fearful and beaten down by the system, but he eventually finds the courage to gamble everything on a total shutdown. He ends the story as an unlikely leader of the organization he once despised.

Daniel P. Torkleson is the union-boss-turned-CEO who wants to maintain his opulent lifestyle and power. He is the embodiment of self-interest, using the workers' own stock ownership to manipulate them into supporting his lavish, corrupt administration. He is ultimately undone by his inability to understand the machines he claims to "own."

Bailey is the shop steward, a man who enjoys the petty power of demeriting managers for minor lateness. He serves as the immediate antagonist in Walter’s daily life, representing the suffocating nature of the new order.

In Its Own Voice

"The shop steward was a goad, annoying, perhaps even infuriating, but tolerable."

Walter observes the daily indignities of his position, where a low-level worker holds absolute authority over executive staff.

"We fought long and hard for control of this corporation, just the way all the other unions did."

Torkleson justifies his absolute control of the company by citing the history of the union's rise to power.

"The machines just go in circles; the circuits are locked, and they just reverberate."

This observation describes the literal and metaphorical state of the company, which remains trapped in a cycle of useless activity.

What It's Really About

The story functions as a cynical critique of the intersection between labor politics and corporate management. It asks what happens when the people who perform the labor also own the means of production but lack the expertise to direct it. The book argues that professional management is a skill distinct from ownership, and when that distinction is erased, the resulting power vacuum is filled by corruption rather than democracy. Ultimately, it explores the idea that absolute power—whether held by a CEO or a union boss—inevitably leads to a disconnection from the reality of production and the needs of the workers themselves.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy workplace satires with a speculative edge will find this story particularly engaging. It reads like a sharp, fast-paced fable about corporate structure, and its depiction of "managerial anxiety" remains surprisingly relatable in an era of constant performance metrics. Because it was written in 1963, the story reflects a mid-century preoccupation with industrial labor unions and large-scale manufacturing, which may feel slightly dated to those expecting modern tech-industry tropes. However, the core dynamic—the struggle between those who understand how a system works and those who merely hold the power to dictate it—is timeless. It is a cynical, darkly funny read that reminds us that institutional rot looks the same regardless of who wears the suit. It is not a lengthy book, but it packs a punch, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of irony regarding the "screwy" nature of human organizations. Whether you view it as a warning about the dangers of unchecked populist control or a defense of professional expertise, the story offers a concise, biting commentary on the nature of work.