Essay Sample on History of Labor and Work

Introduction

In accounting for the persistent struggle of working population that only periodically focus in transforming democratic capitalism, and to work so without exaggerating the reality of political or employer opposition, will not yield a heroic synthesis of the history of a country. However, it could abet an even more significant appreciation of the exceedingly complicated political and social lives the American working women and men. America had a reputation for being a land of economic freedom, a place where an individual could choose his business activity, work flexible hours, pick his work ethics. American citizens are more secure and protected. (Daniels,2008). Therefore, the success or failure of an individual's business activity was immensely determined by their determination and meticulousness.

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Efforts by Workers to Form Unions and Political Organizations

To comprehend the wants of labor, it is fundamental to introduce arguments upon which the claims are based on and after that illustrating the above details. Do Samuel Gophers write in one of his papers titled what does labor want? Postulates that a reduction of working hours as one of the bases for forming labor unions and political organizations: "The expressed demand of labor is first and foremost a reduction of the hours of daily labor to eight hours today, fewer hours to-morrow" (Gompers, 1893 pg. 393). The workers argued that a reduction of the hours of labor would counter the adverse effects of slavery and social and moral degradation that had invaded the society. The decline of working hours will, in turn, save their children from the sickness of wage slavery. In the paper authored by Gompers aforementioned, he writes that the workers demand more constant work, more leisure, and less greed. (Gompers,1893pg. 396).

Another factor that fueled the demand for forming labor unions and political organizations was the plight of deteriorated working conditions. Although working conditions varied significantly within different industry and areas, in general, the conditions were in dire need for improvement. For example, the workers demanded equal access to justice and other legal resources such that when they suffer personal destruction either as a result of negligence or maliciousness of another person: they shall have redress even if they are mere wage workers. Therefore, the workers demanded equality before the law, in fact as well as in theory (Gompers, 1893 pg.395). In their attempts to improve working conditions, an organization called the Knights of Labor was formed in 1869 by Terence V. Powderly. (Barga,2016) The organization had roots as a local Philadelphia union, later on, spread to other regions of the United States culminating to one of the political success of Powderly. The organization had various objectives including but not limited to: equal work for equal pay, a graduated income tax, eight hours of work per day, abolition of child labor and establishment of co-operative societies(Knights of employment,2019). The book Who Built America? Rosenzweig, Lichtenstein, Clark, and Hewitt mention that by 1886 the Knights of Labor had successfully enrolled approximately one million members who were about ten percent of the county's nonagricultural workforce. No union had ever employed higher members before that (Rosenzweig, Lichtenstein, Clark and Hewitt, 2000, pg. 121). Moreover, because of the structural progress that had been witnessed after the industrial revolution and inventions of the scientific age, there were better methods of production that were less demoralizing to human workers. As Carnegie writes in the Gospel of Wealth, the inevitable results of such a mode of manufacture were higher quality products which fetched higher prices (Carnegie,1962, pg. 15)

Away from that, the workers formed unions to counter the effects of industrial anarchy that had been established by the capitalists who argued various labor market atrocities were a result of the forces of supply and demand. According to Gompers, the primary objective of the capitalistic system was that of production of profits instead of the output of honest goods(Gompers,1893. Pg. 391). The state of industrial disorderliness resulted in the creation of a class of wealthy and socially and morally retrogressive capitalists that exploited the hard work and gains of innocent workers.

One of the early inspirations to form unions and political organizations was independence and economic freedom.

Challenges That Workers Faced in Their Efforts To Unite With Each Other

Their efforts to form and associate with labor and political unions workers faced immense challenges that hindered their progress. There was class conflict in the United States. The authors of the book Who Built America? Illustrates to the reader how violence, racial strife and conflict of interest that had taken root in towns and rural areas as a result of industrial life in the 1870s and 1880s. To quote from the book," the power of the wealthy was based on their money, while the power of the poor was grounded in their communities" (Rosenzweig et al., 2000 pg. 115). Furthermore, the workers faced the challenge of lack of power access to state machinery such the law and civil liberty. For example, the gruesome battle that occurred at Carnegie's Homestead which was one of the most advanced mills in the world, broke the powers of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers because he was indifferent and wanted a cheap and docile labor force( Rosenzweig et al. 2000, pg. 118). The union was a barrier for Carnegie and his partner Henry Clay Frick who went ahead and gave them a degraded contract than what they had advocated for which led to a bloody strike. The workers believed that they were advocating for their civil rights, but Carnegie had power. On November 20, 1892, the union surrendered, and the company retrenched and blacklisted the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. ( Rosenzweig, 2000, pg.119). According to political economists, labor was merely merchandising such that the working conditions of laborers were just a side thought. Their views were unscientific and lacked practical proof. (Gompers, 1893 pg.392). This was one of the reasons that fueled the creation of labor unions. The bomb explosion that took place at a workers' rally in Haymarket Square in 1886 labor activism in the country lost psych as they were blamed for the chaos that erupted, as a result of the membership to the Knights of Labor reduced. (History,2009)

Why Government Officials and Employers Resisted Efforts by Workers to Form Labor Unions.

The government's efforts to deter workers from forming labor unions were based on the culminating anarchy in the society while the employers were mostly driven by the conflict of interest to protect their enormous powers. For example, in 1888 the New York courts responded to widespread worker actions and criminalized industrial boycotts. ( Rosenzweig, 2000, pg. 122). There is power in numbers; the employers refuted claims of forming labor unions because they realized that employees would have higher bargaining power if they are in unions than individuals. , therefore, were wary of losing cheap labor inform of slavery and exploitation. As mentioned earlier in this paper, Carnegie and his partner Henry Clay Frick went ahead and offered a degraded contract that was worse than the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers had bargained for because they did not want to increase the salary of their workers. Hence, when the battles occurred, they sought the help of private militia to quell the violence, which they successfully did.

Conclusion

To suffice, in the advent of improved technological progress,employers and governments seek to employ a delicate measure between capital and labor-intensive methods of production. Both have different merits and demerits depending on the type of business and the economic environment in which the company operates.

References

Rosenzweig, R., Clark, C., Hewitt, N. and Lichtenstein, N. (2000). Who Built America. 3rd ed.

Kaufman, S., Albert, P. and Gompers, S. (1990). The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 3: Unrest and Depression, 1891-94. Labour / Le Travail, 26, p.248.

Wiebe, R., Carnegie, A. and Kirkland, E. (1962). The Gospel of Wealth and Other Timely Essays. The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 49(2), p.347.

Barga, M. (2016). Knights of Labor. Retrieved from https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/organizations/labor/knights-of-labor-2/About the Knights of Labor then, and now | Knights of Labor. (2019). Retrieved from http://knightsoflabor.com/about-the-knights-of-labor-then-and-now/

Knights of Labor. (2009). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/knights-of-labor.

Daniels, E. (2019). Economic Freedom in America: What is Economic Freedom? | Capitalism Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2008/10/economic-freedom-in-america-what-is-economic-freedom/