"As conditions in the factories fueling the Industrial Revolution worsened , workers got together to demand the liberties they thought they deserved. However they often could not agree on what they really wanted. Most of their goals were higher pay, shorter days and to some extremes Marxism. Their most successful action was the 8 hour work day. Today workers enjoy higher pays shorter days and often easy debates over reforms with their employers. All this is thanks to the labor Unions of the Gilded Age." - Us, on our Industrial Revolution page
labor Movements
With the influx of workers, factories, and the industrial revolution as a whole, workers got sick of the poor conditions that they were forced to work in. Many employers didn't want to dish out the money to make the work place safer, or lose out on making money. Workers and employers struggled for control of the work place, this led to workers forming Workers Unions, which are very prominent in today's society. Thanks awful employers!
Railroad Strike of 1877
As stated countless times throughout this website, railroads were a huge part of the Industrial Revolution. You know, transportation!? Well, you'd never guess that conditions weren't that good for railroad workers, would you? They weren't. People got teen angst, of course. The railroad companies would compete with others, and would try to build more impressive railways, so they ended up not focusing on the workers and their conditions. In 1877, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company made pay cuts, causing many workers to revolt. Some walked off the job, causing other railroad workers (even from different companies) to walk off their job. This became one of the first organized strikes of workers in The Gilded Age. Workers would band together and launch attacks, harming the trains and tracks. Soldiers were called in to stop the attacks, killing many in the process.
Pullman Strike
George Pullman was the owner of a business that built railroad cars, who "cared for" his workers greatly. He had built a place for all of his factory workers to live, known as Pullman Town. Although this seemed like a generous act from Pullman, it wasn't what it seemed on the surface. In Pullman Town the rent was much higher than regular housing outside of the village, alcohol was forbidden, and people hired by Pullman had ran the town, as opposed to a council. The workers barely had any say or freedoms in the town, and soon grew weary of the place under Pullman's control. By the time 1894 arrived, Pullman had pushed his workers even further when he cut their pay. Pullman then fired those who demanded rent be lowered, and workers simply walked off of their job. Once again, this caused a wide spread strike, that was eventually diffused by military action.
LAbor movements epilogue
Today, we see the result of these labor movements in the form of workers unions, 8 hour workdays, wages, and so on. If it weren't for these strikes and revolts we may not of had these things in our society today. Overall, these movements were quite beneficial, as they shaped a lot of the working world that we are accustomed too, even if there were some tragedies involved.