The Factory Controversy

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The Factory Controversy

• January 5, 2007

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Imagine

• Imagine waking up at 5 in the morning and heading
  to work.
• Your job is in a factory doing mindless work all
  day till late in the night.
• You can not speak to anyone.
• What would life be like? What would you do?

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Factory Work

• What was life like in a factory???

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Factory Life

• Long twelve hour days
• No talking allowed
• Boring repetitive work
• Poor lighting
• Not safe

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Factory Life Sadie Frowne

• I was new at work and the foreman scolded me a
  great dealI was often called a stupid
  animalThe machines go like mad all day, because
  the faster you work, the more money you get.
  Sometimes in my haste I get my finger caught and
  the needle goes right through it. It goes quick
  though, and does not hurt much.

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Sweatshop

• Sweatshop A shop where employees worked long
  hours at low wages and under poor working
  conditions.

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Division of labor

• Division of Labor Each worker only did a
  portion of the work creating a product. Often
  this worker never viewed the finished product.

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Rise of Labor Unions

• Knights of Labor Popular labor organization
  which recruited all different workers. Pursued
  equal pay for equal work, 8-hour workday, and end
  to child labor.

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Rise of Labor Unions

• American Federation of Labor (AFL) Only allowed
  skilled workers to join their union. Forced
  strikes and boycotts.

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Employers Fight Back

• Forbidding Union Meetings
• Firing union organizers
• Forced new workers to sign contracts that they
  wouldnt join a union
• Refusing to bargain collectively when strikes
  occurred
• Refusing to recognize unions as their workers
  legitimate representatives

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Scabs

• Scabs Negative term for a worker called in by
  an employer to replace striking workers.

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Strikes Rock the Nation

• Haymarket Riot, 1886 Strike for eight hour
  workdays turns deadly in Chicago when police and
  protestors fight.

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Strikes Rock the Nation

• Homestead Strike , 1892 Strike at Carnegies
  steel factory in Homestead, Pennsylvania. Private
  police force called The Pinkertons are called
  and shoot at the protestors.

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Strikes Rock the Nation

• Pullman Strike, 1894 Railroad strike that
  occurs in Pullman (South of Chicago). President
  Cleveland sent out militia to take strike down.
  Sherman Anti-Trust act is cited which hurts
  strikers for 30 years.

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The END