Labor Issues in the 1890s

The Fight of Labor During The 1890’s

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Hist-157

During the period of 1890 and 1899, America has seen many issues and conflicts regarding labor. The normal workday was long and the pay was minimal. There were many times when work hours were increased and pay either decreased or stayed the same. The individuals that were in charge of the laborers would often keep wages at a minimal in order to keep the profits up with no interest or care on how families of the working class survived. An average miner in the 1890's made an average of "$368.72 per year" which is an average of $33.52 per month. The rent was roughly about 10 dollars per month and common items that a family needs were around 20 dollars. As you can see all of the monthly income has been spent. This left many individuals in debt and is one the reason why individuals in the workforce broke out in strikes and the organization of labor unions expanded. (Unknown, #9).

Since the wages were low, many families had to include everyone in the workforce such as woman and children just in order to survive. Woman and children would often work ten to twelve hours a day in factories where the working conditions were unsafe. (Dubofsky, Unk.Yr.).

Many employers would employ children in the workforce due to their low cost of labor. In fact, this was considered advantageous by many of America's founding figures. (Guzda, 1998). This made many individuals unhappy and the fight pass child labor laws increased with the goal to keep children in school and out of the workforce.

This time period was the beginning of trade unions and organized labor. It has been a fight for many workers and unions during this time to get a “regular's day of work reduced to eight hours a day, at least in the organized trades, and ultimately, perhaps, in the whole field...