1. Labor Reform in the Progressive Era

2. Working in the 1800s Average Hours worked per week: 60
Average wage per hour: $0.10
To make ends meet, many laborers had to send their children to work in the factories
Children as young as 10 years old worked 40 and fifty hour weeks
By 1890, 20% of all children ages had full time jobs
Twelve year old girl working full time as a textile spinner in 1908

3. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
March 25, 1911
Garment producer in New York City
146 garment workers were killed in a fire
Conditions at the factory contributed to the loss of life
New York Fire Department battling the blaze at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

4. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Fire started in the upper floors
Factory doors were locked from the outside
Prevent theft
Prevent unauthorized breaks
Workers weren’t able to exit the building
Melted windows and fire escape, which collapsed, sending several people to the ground below

5. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Fire escapes weren’t sufficient for the building
Made too small to save money
Made of inferior material
Caused a collapse that caused its occupants to fall 100 feet to their deaths on the street below
Many people, unable to get to the lone staircase or an elevator, jumped to their deaths from the upper stories
Those that didn’t jump allowed themselves to be consumed by flames

6. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Dead jumpers from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

7. The Aftermath Building owners were convicted of manslaughter
New laws were put in place to prevent such a tragedy from happening again
Fire alarms and sprinklers
Fire extinguishers
Better building access
Limitation of child labor

8. Labor Unions
Designed to protect and promote the interests of the labor force
Works and negotiates with employers for better wages, improved working conditions, and job security
Labor unions and their history with the United States government has been long and tumultuous
Labor disputes throughout history
Riots and intimidation

9. Why did unions form?
Switch from labor intensive to capital intensive systems during industrialization.
Business owners (owners of capital) had more power that workers (owners of labor)
This switch allowed owners to get more and more wealthy while not increasing the wages or improving the conditions of the workers
By the mid to late 1800s, business owners had complete control of wages, workday, and working conditions

10. Why did labor unions form?
Workers soon realized that as conditions grew steadily worse, their only hope was to band together to improve their jobs
Formed the earliest labor unions in the United States
Began to work for better wages, better conditions, better hours

11. What unions do… Collective bargaining
Labor union leadership speaks for its members in negotiating with company management
Salary
Working conditions
Fringe benefits
The result of collective bargaining sessions is a labor agreement (contract) between management and the workers
The contract is usually specified for a period of time
After the allotted time, a new contract is negotiated

12. What unions do… Mediation Arbitration
When negotiations between labor and management fall apart, a mediator is brought in
A mediator is a neutral third party that listens to the arguments of both sides and helps to find common ground
Mediator decisions are usually non-binding
Arbitration
Involves a third party, like mediation
Unlike mediation, the decision of the arbitrator is legally binding.

13. What happens when collective bargaining fails?
Strike
A call by the unions for members to stop all work until union demands are met
Most strikes are called over wages disagreements or fringe benefits
Picketing
Parading in front of the company with signs and slogans
Gain public support
Place pressure on company management

14. What happens when collective bargaining fails?
Boycott
Primary – refusal to buy company products
Secondary – refusal to buy products of firms that do business with the company
Company response
Lockouts – preventing the workers from working
Replacement workers (scabs) – people hired to replace the striking workers
Injunctions – court orders preventing workers from striking

15. Minimum Wage Laws
Minimum Wage – the lowest amount of money an employer can legally pay an employee for an hour’s work
Fair labor Standards Act of 1938
Set the first minimum wage at $0.40 per hour
Initially applied to interstate commerce
Was widened to include all business over time
Overtime pay
Money paid for work extending beyond the mandated limit of 40 hours per week
Usually 1 ½ times the regular hourly rate