The Changing Workplace

Pgs. 240 - 245

Rural Manufacturing

Putting - out system: manufacturers provided the materials for goods to be produced in the home.Then brought the finished articles to the

manufacturer who paid them by the piece and gave them new materials for the next batch.

Original factories were only able to produce thread.

Early Factories

Artisans usually worked in shops attached to their homes:Masters: most experienced in the tradeJourneymen: skilled workers employed

by masters Apprentices: young workers learning the

craft Most replaced by interchangeable

parts and factories: didn’t need specialists as much

The Lowell Mill

“mill girls” – unmarried women under 30 who worked in the New England factoriesBehavior, church attendance, and

curfews monitored.By 1828 made up 9/10ths of the

workforceOnly left factory to get married

Could pay women lower wages then men.

Conditions at Lowell

Workday started at 5am (wake up) 7am (start in factories) 12pm (dinner break) 1-7pm (factory)

Heat, darkness, windows nailed shut, smoke from machines.Hard to breath, extremely hot in the

summer. Managers didn’t care…considered their

workers as machines not peopleIncreased production from 1836-1850 and

lowered workforce.

Strikes at Lowell

1834: wages lowered so workers staged a strikeCompany won and the leaders were fired.

1836: boarding costs hired so it would be a 12.6% pay cutCompany won and leaders fired

1844 Sarah Bagley founded the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association to help make laws to aid women at the mills.Didn’t make that many gains, but still was

able to advocate for a 10 hour workday.

Immigration Increases

Skilled workers from different trades started to ally themselves with each other to win strikes.Often lost strikes because immigrants

took the job for less money and company owners were more than happy to hire them.

Most immigrants from Ireland (potato famine) and GermanyGermans were skilled at farming and

settled in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Immigration Increases cont. Irish immigrants faced a lot of

discrimination because they were Catholic and settled in the cities taking jobs for lower wages.

Irish immigrants took active roles in unions.New York City’s most famous strike in

1840’s organized by Irish workers.

National Trades’ Union

Journeymen formed trade unions specific to each trade.Wanted to standardize wages and conditions for

each industry.10 hour workday.

National Trade’s Union: represented a variety of occupations.

Massachusetts Supreme Court supported workers' right to strike in the case of Commonwealth v Hunt Journeymen could act “in such a manner as

best to subserve their own interests”