Did Unions End Long Work Hours? - Cremieux Recueil
The first general strike in American history took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1835. The strike involved approximately 20,000 workers demanding two things:
The demand for higher wages is self-explanatory; the demand for a ten- hour work day, less so. The standard for labor hours at the time was dawn to dusk, sun up to sun down, for however long that might happen to be. Having to live with the hand nature deals isn’t a good situation, as nature deals different hands in different seasons and that causes trouble. In the summer months, the work days could be fifteen hours long, but as days dropped below ten hours in the winter months, wages became thin and the harsh winters became all the worse for want of money. The strikers’ demand was asking employers to set the work day by hours rather than by the sun, and to raise wages so families would could have more consistency throughout the year.
The strikers won and by the end of the year, the standard for city laborers across the U.S. was ten hours, except in Boston. European labor movements followed suit, demanding ten-hour work days in their own nations.
