Exploring American History Unit VII – Becoming a World Power Chapter 21 - The Progressive Spirit of Reform Section 2- Reforming the Workplace

Reforming the Workplace The Big Idea In the early 1900s, Progressives and other reformers focused on improving conditions for American workers. Main Ideas  Reformers attempted to improve conditions for child laborers.  Unions and reformers took steps to improve safety in the workplace and to limit working hours.

Lewis Hines

Child Labor Sadie Pfeifer, 48 inches high. Has worked half a year.

Child Labor  Working conditions  The hours, the pay.  Factory children  Children who worked the fields.  These young workers could not Breaker Boys" were used in the anthracite coal mines to separate slate rock from the coal after it had been brought out of the shaft. They often worked 14 to 16 hours a day.

Child Labor  the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and children were freed from the bondage of dangerous work

Marie Van Vorst. Many children worked in. Children. Reformers wanted. Main Idea 1: Reformers attempted to improve conditions for child laborers.

Child-Labor Reform  Florence Kelley.  Massachusetts  Congress passed. The Supreme Court ruled the laws unconstitutional.

Reforming the Workplace  Florence Kelly and the National Child Labor Committee..  Courts and Labor Laws Lochner v. New York-. Muller v. Oregon-.  Unions ILGWU-. IWW-

Triangle Shirtwaist fire

Congress Attempts to Control Child Labor In Keating-Owen Act. In 1918 the Supreme Court ruled that the Keating-Owen Act was unconstitutional. Second Child Labor Law. This legislation was declared unconstitutional as a result of the Drexel Furniture Company case in 1922.

Fair Labor Standards Act June, 1938, that Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Improving Conditions for Children  Identify - Where did children work?  Recall - What was the purpose of the National Consumer’s League?  Make Inferences – Why did some parents ask their employed children to lie about their age?

Main Idea 2: Unions and reformers took steps to improve safety in the workplace and to limit working hours.  Workplace accidents were common in 1800s and early 1900s..  The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.  Reformers fought for workers’ compensation laws  In 1902 Maryland.

The Courts and Labor  Some businesses opposed workplace regulations.  New York passed a law in 1897 limiting bakers to a 10-hour workday. Bakery owner Joseph Lochner sued. In Lochner v. New York (1905), the Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional. The court ruled that the state could not restrict employers from entering into any kind of agreement with employees.  In 1908 Muller v. Oregon.

American Federation of Labor Supported capitalism Labor unions tried Labor Organizations socialism. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Safety and Working Conditions  Identify – In what year did the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire take place?  Cause and Effect – Why were so many people killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?  Analyze – What are some possible reasons business leaders resisted government regulations?  Predict – If 500,000 people suffered industrial accidents today, what might happen to that industry as a result?

Safety and Working Conditions  Compare – How do capitalism and socialism differ?  Identify Cause and Effect – What was the effect of Lochner v. New York on employers?