John Morrison's Testimony of a Machinist is a Transcript of Morrison testifying in front of the Senate. The transcript covers changes in factory work environments, possible causes of those changes and effects that they have. This paper is a very good source to see the growing unrest among factory workers, why they feel disenfranchised and why they might wish to unionize. What is overlooked in this which make his arguments weaker than they could be is the fact that technology will always be advancing and must be adapted to.
Work Conditions in the 1800’s were worse than bad. A regular work day was 11.4 hours for Men women and children. Many factories had rapidly moving pieces of machinery. Those machines where very dangerous to work around. These machines being fast moving belts to crushers that wouldn't stop on a dime.
Having traveled to Guatemala and seeing how most people live in third world countries the fact that well know American companies treat their oversees employees so poorly makes me angry. While in Guatemala many of the people there would work multiple jobs and still don’t make enough to be able to support their families. Their working conditions that I saw were terrible and their living conditions were not favorable just like the ones that were showed in the Nike sweatshop video. Although many people are looking for work in these third world countries to support their families, companies need to respect them and give the workers what is deserved. I believe that sweatshops still exist today, it’s changed from over time and they all have moved overseas because there are not many global laws that prevent against the harsh working conditions for these
In 1887, Samuel Gompers mused, “... I hold it as a self-evident proposition that no successful attempt can be made to reach those ends without first improving present conditions.” What Gompers is suggesting is that regulations to protect the workers must be made before one attempts to abolish bigger discrepancies. His base work in improving workplace regulations resulted in a stricter hand in government telling businesses what they can and can’t do. Gompers creation of the American Federation of Labor made workers of America a more united force, that led to changes for the good of the working class. One of these changes that occurred from Samuel Gompers work was the Adamson Act.
Jobs that were thought to be impossible to replace, like the mill worker, burger flipper, or waiter, have been replaced by factories, burger flipping robots, and tablets. These jobs, through a combination of taxes and rapidly cheapening technology, kills these jobs. This has happened since the dawn of time: the bronze worker was
The Industrial Revolution brought many advancements in technology and the economy. However, it also uncovered many issues for the working class, ones that ran dominant and unchecked during the Gilded Age. The mindset of the American working population also began to develop in their mindset to question and fight against the conditions they were forced to endure. Progressives headed the movement, bring on their own era of change and justice. The transition and duration of the Gilded Age to Progressive Era brought many adaptations to worker’s rights and regulations in the workplace.
By working seven days a week, there will be an increase in jobs for the U.S. citizens. This will
Before unions, the working class in the United States was subject to long, unforgiving hours. Sinclair describes in several cases how characters were victims of seemingly endless days in the factory. Sinclair writes, “She works in a canning factory, and all day long she handles cans of beef that weigh fourteen pounds” (Sinclair 9). Historically, there were no regulations on wages or hours. Employers would squeeze their employees out of all the work that they had.
The life of an industrial worker was very hard. Workers had to work long shifts and get paid very little. Some worked ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week, and made less than one dollar per hour. Along with long hours and little pay, there was no regulation for breaks, safety, or age. Due to this, one in eleven workers died on the job.
All in all, America with no work would result in extended time and bonds with family, however then you are subtracting work in its entirety, which still leaves you with a work-life
The rights of workers had long been ignored by employers because big corporations were more concerned with large profits that lined the pockets of company executives rather than paying their workers better wages to allow them to have a decent quality of life. With the American Federation of Labor advocating for workers’ rights for better pay, safer working conditions, and other benefits in the work environment of the common working class allowed for a better quality of life for employees and their families. There are several rights that the American Federation of Labor strongly advocates for; advocacy for the eight-hour workday, workplace safety regulations, and fostering racial and gender equality in the workplace. Advocacy for the eight-hour workday started in the federal government when the “National House of Representatives adopted an eight-hour law for all employees” (Hillquit 15), “Several states pas[s]ed laws limiting the hours of labor of women and children and those of men in particularly dangerous or unhealthful callings, others adopted laws fixing a minimum wage for certain workmen employed on state or municipal work” (Hillquit 15). Another commonly advocated right is workplace safety, workplace safety includes breaks to prevent from exhaustion and can allow for workers to avoid making small but catastrophic mistakes, primary and secondary emergency exits along with notifying employees of them, and clean work environments which can include air filters, face masks, or other workplace quality improvements.
The work was also dangerous with not much supervising by the government. Workers, on the other hand, had little or even no bargaining power to leave the unsafe conditions. Nowadays, When Americans only pay attention when extreme work strike, levels of abuse are the norm hidden in the factories around the globe. Although the condition seems much improved, consumers don’t know the true fact- “Today, American citizens simply cannot know the working conditions of the factories that make the products they buy.
During the periods of 1865 through 1945, the United States went through a series of highs and lows. Almost like a teenager going through his or her first years of high school, this era was an emotional rollercoaster for most Americans. From the drastic improvement of technology innovation, to economic decrease; The United States never had stable good or bad era because of events such as The Second Industrial Revolution and The Great Depression. In the early 1870s, the United States began booming in economic growth; making the country a very promising time for Americans to start earnings wages.
In “Making it in America,” Adam Davidson explains what is occurring in factories in America today. Currently, American factories are producing more goods per factory than in the past, while factory jobs are disappearing. He also humanizes what is happening in today’s factories by providing a specific example of a company, Standard Motors with a factory in Greenville, South Carolina and interviewing workers and the Chief Executive Officer there. Davidson provides the reader with the context of their personal lives and the opportunities they have. One worker with whom he speaks is hurt by these trends, one that is helped by them.
Are Americans Worked too Hard? Americans work more than anyone in the industrialized world and work longer days, less vacation days, and retire later. Studies have shown that America is the most stressed country in the world. Americans are proven to suffer from more injuries,illnesses, and die younger due to working.
