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Working conditions of the industrial revolution
Working conditions of the industrial revolution
Effects on workers' lives in the industrial revolution
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Back in time during the Industrial Revolution, Employees used to work 11-12 hours perdiem, 6 days a week. Henry Ford, however, sought a change in hours and days to work in a week. Ford decided to double worker's pay and have employees work only 8 hours a day rather than 11-12 hours a week. In addition to Ford and Supporter's point of view, it is both convenient and not convenient for some businesses and employees to cut back on hours. Depending whether or not they would cut back on hours, it would vary due to worker's pay. Businesses who cut back on hours could profit in productivity, depending whether they increase wages. If a business cuts back hours, and doubles worker's pay, they may lose profit, or money, due to having to pay more
Ford offered an incredible perk for people working in his company. He offered the workers $5 a day minimum wage even though in other auto industries the wages were $2.34. So Ford was paying more than double the average wage to his workers, this shows his dedication to his work. Henry Ford despised Labor Unions for the sole reason that they were pointless and that because he thought he knew how to take care of his workers better than anybody else did. However, in 1941 he faced a general strike from his workers that made him change his mind, reluctantly. Ford had worked a lot to create a car that would be affordable to any common person. He stated, “ I will build a car for the great multitude…so low in price that no one will be unable to own one.
This confusion can be seen in two reports from separate journals that differ greatly—so much so that the ability to attribute them to the same issue seems unlikely and unrealistic. William Alexander Abram, a journalist and historian in the 1860’s, wrote an article about the vast improvements made during the industrialization process (Doc 6). Abram specifically mentions the Hours of Labor in Factories Act of 1844 that prohibited excessively long work days. Additionally, Abram mentioned the increased wages and the subsequent increase in quality of life.
Working conditions in the Industrial Revolution were very harsh. It was a time when people wanted mass amounts of production and were not concerned about how things got done as long as they got done. Chadwick and Sadler both took initiative to try to change and protect workers’ rights. As worker’s health became more public, people began to realize how bad they were suffering, the Parliament knew they had to make changes. The Parliament put in many acts and laws that would limit work hours and give workers more rights and better health.
"Work sessions must be varied about eight times a day because a man cannot remain enthusiastic about his job " ( 117). This statement was a suggestion made by Charles Fourier, who wanted work to become better. This statement talks about division of labor. Division of labor was a direct result of industrial capitalism, and it created alienation of labor. In 1750 workers would do the same thing such as making shoes. Their means of production would simply be small tools. In 1850 they would do many boring things instead of just one. Also, their means of production would include bigger, more technological advances that not everyone would be able to run. This "improvement" still made work very boring. Work in the 1750's was more exciting than work in the 1850's.
For the first generation of workers—from the 1790s to the 1840s—working conditions were very tough, and sometimes tragic. Most laborers worked 10 to 14 hours a day, six days a week, with no paid vacation or holidays. Each industry had safety hazards too; the process of purifying iron, for example, demanded that workers toiled amidst temperatures as high as 130 degrees
hour week in 1950 rather than an attempt to allow for the increased workload. In
Henry Ford was one of the most important and influential inventors and businessmen in the short history of America. He revolutionized the business world and he changed forever the efficiency of factories around the world. One of the reasons that Henry Ford can be considered such an important man is that his ideas and concepts are still used today. Boron on July 30, in the year of 1863, Henry Ford was the oldest child of the family. His parents, William and Mary Ford, were “prosperous farmers” in his hometown of Dearborn. While they we’re well off for farmers, Ford certainly wasn’t spoiled and fed from silver spoons. Ford was just like any other typical young boy during the rural nineteenth century. From early on there we’re signs that Henry was going to be something more than a farmer. He looked with interest upon the machinery that his father and himself used for their farming, and looked with disdain at the rigorous chores of a farmer. In the year 1879, Henry being a meager 16 years old, he moved to the city of Detroit where he would work as an apprentice machinist. Henry would remain in Detroit working and learning about all varieties of machines. Although he occasionally came back to visit Dearborn, he mostly stayed in Detroit, picking up more and more valuable knowledge. This apprenticeship allowed him to work in the factories of Detroit and learn what a hard working blue-collar job was like. When he did return to Dearborn he was always tearing apart and rebuilding his fathers machines, along with the dreaded farm chores. Henry Ford was a hard worker and that was proven by him getting fired from one of his jobs in Detroit because the older employees we’re mad at him because he was finishing his repairs in a half hour rather than the usual five hours. Clara Bryant would represent the next step in now twenty-five year old Henry Ford’s life. The two lovers we’re married in 1888 and would endure good times as well as bad. In order to support his new wife Henry was forced to work the land as he ran a sawmill that was given to him by his father. His father actually attempted to bribe Henry to stay in the farming business as he gave him the land only under the condition that he would continue on as a farmer.
Ford used Taylor’s scientific management principles and come up with the mass production and assembly line. This benefitted the motor vehicle industry highly. The effects of Taylorism and Fordism in the industrial workplace were strong and between the period of 1919-1929 the output of industries in the U.S doubled as the number of workers decreased. There was an increase in unskilled labour as the skill was removed and placed into machines. It lead to the discouragement of workers ability to bargain on the basis of control over the workplace.
They have long argued that requiring employers to pay workers more will force many of them to either cut back on hours, put off hiring, or lay off employees in order to keep their labor costs down. “Raising the minimum wage will kill jobs and stifle economic output,” NFIB Manager of Legislative Affairs Ashley Fingarson said earlier this week, as the organization sent a letter to the Senate urging lawmakers to vote against a bill that would raise the minimum hourly rate from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour. (The Washington Post) Many businesses will be hurt by the increase in wage rate due to lack of expenses of paying employees more, causing businesses to lose money and even go out of
How would you feel if your boss cut down your work paycheck just because he wanted a better life for them self? The men, women and children that worked in factories during the 18th and 19th centuries were brutally mistreated causing poverty, injuries and pallid body types (Thompson). At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, working was incredibly unsafe because there were absolutely no labor or safety laws. Working conditions back then were extremely different from those that are in place today. The unbearable working conditions caused a vast amount of labor laws and rights.
It’s a well-known notion that “time is money,” especially in business. More time means more customers. More customers means more money. In the article “The Politics of Daylight Saving Time,” by Brian Handwerk, he states, “Businesses tend to support DST because the sudden change produces
2: Evidence showned that in 1914, Henry fordchanged the workday to eight hours on his assembly line, he double workers pay. production of ford employee increased so much that ford found his own profits double within two years.
reduced the work day from nine hours to eight hours, making factories into three shift days. This in turn made workers flock to Henry Ford’s factories. “People either praised him as a great humanitarian or excoriated him as a mad socialist” (Gelderman). Ford had stated however that it had nothing to do with humanitarianism. Another act of significance Ford had in doing business was the stress in low pricing. Previously, profit was based on paying wages as low as workers allowed, and charging prices as high as people could bear. Ford’s actions were rather the opposite. Ford had charged 290 dollars for a Model T in 1927 in order to capture the widest possible market as well as sell the highest volume possible, simultaneously making his factories
During this time the United Kingdom was going through economic and social turmoil. A three-day working week was introduced in 1974 in order to cope with the oil crisis and strike action that was taking place throughout the country. As real life became harder for people to cope with, entertainment became
...ive for businesses because it helps them make more money and serve customers on time, but it is a negative for those who are losing their jobs.