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Reforming the Industrial Order

Reforming the Industrial Order. Chap 9 Sec 2 Notes. Reforming the workplace. 1900 the Avg. laborer worked 10hrs/day 6 days/week for $1.50/day women and children were paid less. Female and Child Labor. 1900--½ of women in jobs as factory workers, store clerks etc. earned $6 or less per week

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Reforming the Industrial Order

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  1. Reforming the Industrial Order Chap 9 Sec 2 Notes

  2. Reforming the workplace • 1900 the Avg. laborer worked 10hrs/day 6 days/week for $1.50/day women and children were paid less

  3. Female and Child Labor • 1900--½ of women in jobs as factory workers, store clerks etc. earned $6 or less per week • Barely enough to survive • Significant barriers when try to increase wages • Piece workers penalized for working too fast • “Outrage for a girl too earn $25 a week” • would be fired if you protest

  4. John Spargo“The Bitter Cry of Children “ in 1906 charged textile industry with enslavement of children • Few children had attended school or could read • Child worked or family starved

  5. Labor Laws • Prohibit or limit child labor and improve conditions for female workers • Florence Kelley persuade Illinois legislature to prohibit child labor and limit number of hours women could work • More than 2 million children worked in factories in 1910 • Girls working 16 hours in canning factories

  6. Prohibit or limit child labor and improve conditions for female workers • Florence Kelley persuade Illinois legislature to prohibit child labor and limit number of hours women could work • More than 2 million children worked in factories in 1910 • Girls working 16 hours in canning factories

  7. George Creel Children in Bondage 1913 describes problem of child labor • Also campaigned for laws to force factories to limit hours employers demanded • 1903 Florence Kelley helped pass a law in Oregon limiting laundry workers to 10 hour days • Utah already had laws limiting workdays to 8 hours in certain jobs

  8. Fought for higher wage • 30 million men 7.5 million women employed in 1910 1/3 lived in poverty • Catholic monsignor John Ryan called for establishment of minimum wage in 1910 level to approximate normal standard of living • Massachusetts passes first minimum wage law in 1912-set wages for women and children • 1938 Federal government passes minimum wage law

  9. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire • March 25,1911 Saturday • 500 employees mostly Jewish and Italian immigrant women • Finishing shift- fire starts in rag bin • 8th floor of 10 story building a blaze • Escape impossible • 2 stairways- fire doors locked owners afraid girls would steal fabric • Elevator shaft jams • 60 workers jump to deaths to escape fire • 143 die in fire • Popular outrage forces lawmakers to pass laws to help workers • NY City enacted strictest fire safety code in U.S.

  10. Progressivism and Supreme Court • Business fought back through courts • 14th amendment prohibits states from depriving “any person of life, liberty or property w/o due process of law” • Owners claimed regulatory laws deprived them of property • Supreme Court sided w/business owners and declared early laws unconstitutional • Court also ruled some legislation violated freedom of contract

  11. 1905 Lochner vs. New York—overturned law limiting bakers to 10 hour work days • Workers should be free to negotiate and accept any conditions of employment • Muller vs. Oregon (1908) • Supreme Court upheld law limiting hours in laundries • Louis Brandeis argued for keeping law- “Brandeis Brief”-format for defense of social legislation

  12. Labor Unions • Fought for closed shops- must belong to a union • Most favored “working within system” • Wanted changes but w/o replacing capitalism • Some favored socialism- government ownership of factories, utilities, transportation and communication

  13. AFL • American Federation of Labor • Samuel Gompers leader • AFL grew 4 fold from 1900 to 1914 • Excluded unskilled workers • Mostly eastern European and African American workers excluded • Belief that skilled workers had greatest potential to cause change • By 1902 only 3% of African Americans were union members

  14. ILGWU • International Ladies Garment Workers Union • Established in 1900 in N.Y. City • Unionize workers in sewing shops • 1909 workers in 3 shops walked off job wanted ILGWU to call General strike • Nov 1909 “Uprising of 20,000” • Workers walked off job and demanded recognition of ILGWU as union • Strike lasted throughout winter • Got assistance from Women’s Trade Union League • Owners brought in African Americans to replace workers- some joined strike

  15. Results mixed • Got wage increase • Got reduced working hours • However owners refused to recognize union • Membership grew from 400 to 65,000

  16. IWW • Industrial Workers of the World • “Wobblies” opposed capitalism • Led by “Big Bill” Haywood • Denounced AFL cooperation w/business owners and failure to include unskilled workers • Enlisted African -Americans, Asians and Hispanics

  17. Successes • Philadelphia raised wages from $1.25/day to $4/day • Pursued goals through boycotts, general strikes and sabotage • 1912 led strike of 10,000 textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts • Failures – several strikes failed • Many Americans grew weary of IWW tactics • Government cracked down on union

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