Henry Ford is NOT a great example. His company did NOT succeed because of higher wages. It succeeded because he revolutionized the manufacturing process, had massive sames as a result of making the automobile affordable for all, and therefore could afford to pay more in wages. Correlation does not equal causation.
(However, even if you want to persist in the old argument that paying more makes happier workers which will make them work harder... you are talking about an American culture that does not exist anymore. Those who are under 35 are MORE than happy to get paid more and more for doing less and less. Pride in a wage well-earned is a notion of the past. The few who still believe in it are rare and precious gems in the labor market today.)
(massive sales, not sames)