US Labor history
Introduction
The US labor force has gone through various transitions over the years, and that is attributed to the changes in the management systems. In the 19th and start of the 20th century, workers in the US were faced with various problems. The problems included low wages, poor working conditions, long working hours and a poor working relationship between the employees and their seniors. Apparently, this led to the formation of labor unions and trade unions to help in addressing the workers issues (Broadberry & Irwin, 2004). However, the labor unions did not succeed in addressing the problems. Hence, this led to the formation of counteractions in the form of strikes, boycotts and sabotage. The managers, on the other side, …show more content…
The problems in the workplace led to these employees feeling demotivated towards putting their best in their jobs (Broadberry & Irwin, 2004). Moreover, it led to a poor working relationship between the normal employees and their superiors. The problems are discussed below.
Low wages
The problems of low wages affected most of the labour forces across the US (Rogers, 2001). The employees would work tirelessly, but at the end of the day, they would go home with low wages. Hence, this led to a spread of poverty in the US as well as individuals leading a low lifestyle. In 1890, for instance, the Pullman Palace Car Company decided to cut the wages of their employees in the name of an increase in the company’s profitability. Hence, this shows how the companies in the US focused on ensuring that their employees had low wages.
Long working hours
The workers were subjected to long hard labor. The workers were meant to work for at most ten hours so that they would attain their wages (Countrystudies.us, 2015). The construction of the railway, for instance, saw to it that the laborers had to ensure that they worked hard to earn their wages. In as much as the employees worked for long, they were demotivated by the aspect of not spending enough time with their
Introduction
The US labor force has gone through various transitions over the years, and that is attributed to the changes in the management systems. In the 19th and start of the 20th century, workers in the US were faced with various problems. The problems included low wages, poor working conditions, long working hours and a poor working relationship between the employees and their seniors. Apparently, this led to the formation of labor unions and trade unions to help in addressing the workers issues (Broadberry & Irwin, 2004). However, the labor unions did not succeed in addressing the problems. Hence, this led to the formation of counteractions in the form of strikes, boycotts and sabotage. The managers, on the other side, …show more content…
The problems in the workplace led to these employees feeling demotivated towards putting their best in their jobs (Broadberry & Irwin, 2004). Moreover, it led to a poor working relationship between the normal employees and their superiors. The problems are discussed below.
Low wages
The problems of low wages affected most of the labour forces across the US (Rogers, 2001). The employees would work tirelessly, but at the end of the day, they would go home with low wages. Hence, this led to a spread of poverty in the US as well as individuals leading a low lifestyle. In 1890, for instance, the Pullman Palace Car Company decided to cut the wages of their employees in the name of an increase in the company’s profitability. Hence, this shows how the companies in the US focused on ensuring that their employees had low wages.
Long working hours
The workers were subjected to long hard labor. The workers were meant to work for at most ten hours so that they would attain their wages (Countrystudies.us, 2015). The construction of the railway, for instance, saw to it that the laborers had to ensure that they worked hard to earn their wages. In as much as the employees worked for long, they were demotivated by the aspect of not spending enough time with their