Minutes and Proceedings of the First Carpenters’ Eight Hour Convention. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Cincinnati. February 22, 1894. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Records.
Telegram in support of a successful lobbying effort for the 1916 Adamson Act, which established an eight hour day for railroad workers, from President William Hutcheson, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, to U. S. Senator Thomas Taggart. August 31, 1916. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Records.
American Federation of Labor commemorative copy of House Resolution 8537, the first law passed by the U. S. Congress limiting the work day to eight hours for workers employed on public construction projects, 1892. AFL-CIO Posters, Broadsides, and Art Collection.
8-Hour Work Day. On August 20, 1866, the newly organized National Labor Union
National Labor Union
The National Labor Union was founded on August 20, 1866, in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first attempt to create a national labor group in the United States and one of their first actions was the first national call for Congress to mandate an 8-hour work day.
called on Congress to mandate an eight-hour workday. A coalition of skilled and unskilled workers, farmers, and reformers, the National Labor Union was created to pressure Congress to enact labor reforms.
In August 1866, the National Labor Union at Baltimore passed a resolution that said, "The first and great necessity of the present to free labor of this country from capitalist slavery, is the passing of a law by which eight hours shall be the normal working day in all States of the American Union.
Now, therefore, I, Ulysses S.Grant, President of the United States, do hereby direct that from and after this date no reduction shall be made in the wages paid by the Government by the day to such laborers, workmen, and mechanics on account of such reduction of the hours of labor.
Whereas the act of Congress approved June 25, 1868, constituted, on and after that date, eight hours a day's work for all laborers, workmen, and mechanics employed by or on behalf of the Government of the United States, and repealed all acts and parts of acts inconsistent therewith: Now, therefore, I, Ulysses S.
Ford announced he would pay each worker $5 per eight-hour day, which was nearly double what the average auto worker was making that time. Manufacturers and companies soon followed Henry Ford's lead after seeing how this new policy boosted productivity and fostered loyalty and pride among Ford's employees.
After over a hundred years of strikes and protests, the working man's efforts to create an eight hour work day finally culminate in the Supreme Court's approval of the Adamson Act—but not without a brutal fight.
What was once a 19th Century socialist dream, the traditional 8-hour workday is in danger of becoming an outdated concept. The rise of remote working and less structured work patterns has led to far greater flexibility across multiple industries.
And when the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, the U.S. Gov't saw Ford's shorter workweek as a way to fight the massive unemployment crisis – companies would need to hire more workers to get the job done. By 1940, a series of laws made the 40-hour workweek the norm in the U.S. It has been that way ever since.
During the Industrial Revolution, workers often faced grueling schedules, leading to widespread exploitation and poor working conditions. Most people working in manufacturing had 80-100-hour weeks working between 10 and 16 hours, including children, for 6 days every week.
Ford wanted his workers to be well-paid and well-rested so they would use their leisure time to buy more things, including his cars. Ford officially adopted a five-day, 40-hour workweek in 1926. Since Ford was the most influential industrialist of his day, other large companies followed his lead.
In 1940, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. This was the beginning of the 40-hour work week law and established overtime pay for anyone working more than 40 hours a week. From 1940 until recently, 40-hour work schedules have been the standard for all employers with full-time employees.
The gaining of eight hours of leisure gave workers time for recreation, self-improvement and full participation in civic society, and assisted in the development of Victoria's vibrant arts, cultural and sporting communities.
Gas lighting in factories enables employers to lengthen the workweek by extending long summer hours into winter. Factory workers regularly put in 12-hour days and 68-hour workweeks. By 1840 the workweek in the major mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts averages 74 hours.
Eight-hour day proclamation issued by President Ulysses S.Grant declaring that employers cannot reduce wages as a result of the reduction of the workday, 1869.
At the time of the Industrial Revolution, eight-hour work days were not heard of as the factories needed to be tended to all the time. So, employees worked around 10-16 hours a day.
During the Depression, President Herbert Hoover called for a reduction in work hours in lieu of layoffs. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a five-day, 40-hour workweek for many workers.
By the late 1950s, a majority of employees had opted to resume an eight-hour day. Those who didn't were mostly women, and they stayed with their six-hour schedule until the mid-1980s.
As early as 1922, the Ford Motor Company took steps toward the creation of a 40-hour workweek—five 8-hour days and a two-day weekend. “Every man,” said Edsel Ford, the founder's son, “needs more than one day a week for rest and recreation.” The decision was about more than just happy workers, says McCartin.
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