Labor in the American Economy

In the beginning… We were FARMERS! We produced what we could consume. Extra may have been traded in return for other goods & services

In the beginning, continued… Or we were… SHOEMAKERS TAILORS BLACKSMITHS WE HAD CONTROL OVER THE CONDITIONS OF OUR WORK!!

In the 19th century, INDUSTRIALIZATION starts! The Rise of “Wage Labor” begins.

Working Conditions… Unskilled workers fared poorly in the early U.S. economy, receiving as little as half the pay of skilled craftsmen, artisans, and mechanics. About 40 percent of the workers in the cities were low-wage laborers and seamstresses in clothing factories, often living in dismal circumstances. With the rise of factories, children, women, and poor immigrants were commonly employed to run machines.

Working Conditions for Women The early mill­girls were of different ages. Some were not over ten years old; a few were in middle life, but the majority were between the ages of sixteen and twenty­five. The very young girls were called "doffers." They "doffed," or took off, the full bobbins from the spinning­frames, and replaced them with empty ones. They were paid two dollars a week. The working hours of all the girls extended from five o'clock in the morning until seven in the evening, with one half­hour each, for breakfast and dinner. Even the doffers were forced to be on duty nearly fourteen hours a day. This was the greatest hardship in the lives of these children. Several years later a ten­hour law was passed, but not until long after some of these little doffers were old enough to appear before the legislative committee on the subject, and plead, by their presence, for a reduction of the hours of labor.

Child Labor Some boys and girls were so small they had to climb up on to the spinning frame to mend broken threads and to put back the empty bobbins The overseer said apologetically, "She just happened in." She was working steadily. The mills seem full of youngsters who "just happened in" or "are helping sister."

Rise of Labor Unions Workers had little power over wages and working conditions. Workers began to realize that they could influence their employers only if they organized into groups fighting for common goals. As a result, LABOR UNIONS started to form.

Powers of Labor Unions Slow-downs Sit-Ins Strikes Boycotts Demonstrations Collective Bargaining

Power of Employers/Business Strikebreakers – non-union workers replaced union workers on strike Security Forces – private police who would stop meetings/strikes/etc. Lockouts – management refused to let union workers enter the factory & replaced them with “scabs” (non-union workers) “Yellow dog contracts” – promises to never join the union Blacklists – lists containing names of union supporters & members so other employers would not hire them

Unions in Michigan                  Flint Sit-Down Strike

Industrial Growth The late 19th century and the 20th century brought substantial industrial growth. Many Americans left farms and small towns to work in factories, which were organized for mass production and characterized by steep hierarchy, a reliance on relatively unskilled labor, and low wages. In this environment, labor unions gradually developed clout. Eventually, they won substantial improvements in working conditions. They also changed American politics; often aligned with the Democratic Party, unions represented a key constituency for much of the social legislation enacted from the time of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s through the Kennedy and Johnson administrations of the 1960s.

RIGHT TO WORK In Michigan PBS Gallup Poll

Discussion What changes caused the growth of wage labor in the 1800s? Describe the major weapons that unions and employers have used in their disputes. Describe three important gains made by labor unions since 1930s. What are some changes taking place in today’s labor force that may affect you as an adult? Child Labor Today