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What was the problem?

Workers, due to an absence of a minimum wage, received low wages while also working in terrible conditions.

The workers often worked over 50 hour weeks and had no safety net if they became injured.

Young children were also a large portion of the labor force.

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How do we know?

- The Bitter Cry of the Children, by John Spargo, tells the story of how young children were worked nearly to death during the Gilded Age.

- 18.2% of the working force were children from age 10-15, this was about 2 million children in 1900.

- Photographer Lewis Hine documented child labor during the 1900’s.

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Important leaders and organizations

-Florence Kelley was a reformer and political activist for better working conditions, a set minimum wage, and for the end of child labor. she was hired as an investigator of sweatshops by Illinois. She was also the head of the National Consumers League which lobbied for shorter working shifts and better conditions.

-Samuel Gompers was the first president of the american federation of labor. While underneath his leadership the labor federation grew from 50,000 to 3 million people making it the largest of its kind. He supported a political lobbying and endorsing candidates as means of accomplishing his goals of a an 8 hour workday and better working conditions. During Woodrow Wilson's presidency Gompers helped to pass legislation that gave government support of trade unions and collective bargaining. He also founded the International Labor Organization

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How did progressives respond?

- The progressives passed the Keating-Owens act which would have ended child labor in interstate industries had it not been ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court.

-Woodrow wilson also signed a law that would have taxed the employment of children. This was also ruled unconstitutional, but did have an influence on the country as the population of children that were employed declined by 50% from 1920 to 1930.

- Robert LaFollette (Wisconsin Governor) set up a railroad regulatory commision and increased corporate taxes.

- He also set up a legislative reference library so lawmakers wouldn’t have to solely rely on corporate lobbyists for information.

- New York state Senator and a leader of Tammany Hall, Robert F. Wagner headed investigations to the 1911 Triangle fire.

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Were they successful?

- Progressive actions won support from city bosses in cities with large immigrant populations.

- Oregon passed a law in 1903 limiting women in industry to a ten-hour work day.

- By 1907, over 30 states outlawed child labor.

- Robert E. Wagner’s investigation of the 1911 Triangle Fire resulted in 56 worker-protection laws in NY. It also inspired 25 states to make employers liable for job-related injuries or deaths.

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How do these issues relate to modern day?

- The Federal minimum wage today ($7.25) is not enough to live off of.

- According to Amy Glasmeier, a professor of economic geography at MIT, the “living wage” is between $12 and $15 per hour.

- The “living wage” is what needs to be made in order to pay for bills and basic necessities.

- This issue is became even clearer with the fast food strike in December where workers walked out one day to fight a higher pay of $15.

- Another issue is that workers aren’t getting enough hours, even with pleas for more to their employers.

- The maximum hours for any KFC employee, for example, is 25 hours a week.

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Citations

"How Scoop.it Works." Scoop.it. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

"Shocking Images of Child Labor In 1900s USA Documented by Lewis Hine." DeMilked. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

Yet. "The Minimum Wage I Make Isn't a Living Wage." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

"Fast-food Workers Strike, Protest for Higher Pay." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

Deeper, But Dig a Little. "The Real Low-wage Issue: Not Enough Hours." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.

"Florence Kelley (1859–1932)." Open Collections Program: Women Working,. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

"Documenting "The Other Half": The Social Reform Photography of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine." Documenting "The Other Half": The Social Reform Photography of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.

"Samuel Gompers (1850 - 1924)." AFL-CIO. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.