Workers and Labor Unions
The Problem
Before the reforms there were a lot of problems with workers and the labor unions. Owners of factories paid the workers small amounts of salary, even though it was unfair to the workers because they work for long hours. Workers did the same job over and over again. Sometimes the air was dirty and polluted, and the rooms of the factories didn’t have any lights, so it was dark. Some factories were dangerous for workers. Hot fires burned some workers. Others would choke on the cotton dust in the air. When workers tried to improve their job conditions, they would sometimes get fired. Workers had few rights and had to accept poor and even dangerous working conditions.
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Above is a picture of unsafe working condition before reform. Overcrowding was often common in sewing factories.
People, Groups, Movement
A union is a group of workers that comes together to improve their jobs. When workers got together in unions, they were powerful. Unions wanted workers to have rights. They wanted higher pay, shorter working hours, and safer working conditions. Unions asked the bosses for these things.
If the boss said no to the union, the workers would go on strike. A strike is when all the workers in a union stop working until the boss gives them what they want.
When the workers went on strike, sometimes the boss called the police to beat them up. Sometimes the police even attacked the strikers.
An important union was AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR cause they help workers.
This picture shows how to people work at this company but company have money but is not give to people money.
Reform
The unions were able to make workers’ lives better. Forming groups of workers, they went to their bosses and asked them to raise their wages and improve working conditions. Unions were able to get a minimum wage for all the workers. They were able to shorten the workday to 8 hours, instead of the original 10 or more. Unions also were able to shorten the workweek to 5 days. Unions lobbied to get worker’s compensation laws. These laws protected workers and said that if a worker gets injured at work they receive certain help and pay, instead of being fired. Unions also worked toward safer working conditions for everyone. These included more tools, proper equipment, and things to make sure workers are safe. Labor Day is a holiday to celebrate the history, hard work, sacrifice, and dedication of the labor movement.
This picture shows how the labor unions changed the work days and hours.