The Factory System

1. The Factory System The conditions of factory workers and the fight for a better life.

2. The Factory System • In the 19th century factories were made to produce more goods efficiently • Cloth, once made by hand, was now made in a textile factory

3. Factory Workers • Men, women and children came to work in the factories • Many came from the farms to get better jobs in the cities

4. Labor Conditions • People usually worked six days a week, for ten to fourteen hours a day • Many jobs were unsafe • Children often worked, too

5. Labor Unrest • Workers organized strikes against poor working conditions and low pay. • A strike is when workers leave their jobs as a protest. • In some cases workers formed unions, an organization of workers, to improve their pay and working conditions

6. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire • In 1911 a fire broke out in Triangle Shirtwaist Factory • 146 people died in the in the blaze • The factory doors were locked to prevent employees from leaving and theft

8. Knights of Labor • The Knights of Labor formed after the Civil War • The union organized both skilled and unskilled workers • They fought for an 8 hour day and equal wages for women and an end to child labor

9. American Federation of Labor • The AF of L was a craft union that organized skilled workers • They worked to improve wages and working conditions through bargaining with employers. • Their leader was Samuel Gompers

10. Women Workers • Women workers formed a union for garment workers • In 1912 immigrant women went on strike to protest low wages. In Lawrence Mass. • The strike lasted two months, and the strikers won a pay raise and their other demands.

11. Labor Laws • After worker protests the government established labor laws including: • 8 hour day • Limited child labor • Improved safety • Allowed workers to organize unions