Embedded Files
Work Reform During The Progressive Era,
Reform organizations sought changes within the long work hours, low wages, and the dangerous working conditions of laborers, women, and children. The growth within factories and the mining industry characterizes this period. The development of these industries brought both labor and sanitation concerns. Reform groups elucidate the truth of exploitative labor and child labor.
Major Leaders For Reforming Work Conditions:
Samuel Gompers
Florence Kelley
Mother Jones
Jane Addams
Laws And Court Events
Keating-Owen Act (1916)
Government Regulation of child labor
Set the foundation for future reforms
Muller v. Oregon (1908)
Limited the work hours of women to 10 hours a day
Pushed by Florence Kelley
New York Tenement House Law (1901)
Advocated for better living conditions for laborers
Required better maintenance of sanitation in tenement homes
Required standards for ventilation and fire safety
Adamson Act (1916)
Established 8 hour work day for railroad workers
Ohio Minimum Wage Law (1913)
Set a minimum wage
First regulation of minimum wages in Ohio
Set wages to help laborers with low pay
Worker's Compensation Laws (1911)
Provided financial support to workers injured on the job
Required some employers to pay for insurance
Evaluation
The reform of working conditions during the progressive era was successful but experienced some setbacks. Reforms in child labor, working hours, and sanitary regulations were fundamental to modern-day labor laws. Acts such as the Illinois Factory Act served as a pivotal moment in the reforms of workplaces. Muller V. Oregon was also significant to the limitation of exploitation of workers by reducing work hours for laborers. Although there were major improvements, there were also setbacks, such as the Keating Owen Child Labor Act, as it was rejected by the court and shut down with Hammer v. Dagenhart in 1918. Additionally, for minorities, workplace inequality persisted, specifically within the immigrant and African American communities. Overall, the progressive movement improved labor issues, but some inequalities persisted within minority communities.
Page updated
Report abuse