"Workers in 1915 were sometimes required to work too much and other times too little; factory-worker hours could be shortened from one day to the next, leaving workers with a severely reduced paycheck. "<p>The life of your service workforce today with fluctuating, uncertain hours. I don't completely agree with the economics behind fight for $15, but I salute them that they found balls to organize and demand better working conditions and wages.
Well this was near the Yellow Journalism era, so it's fun to read some of the papers from the time to see what life was like. Really we should find Hearst's "New York Journal" or Pulitzer's "New York World", but they do not seem to be on line.<p>But you can find some: Here is Pulitzer's the "The Evening World" <a href="http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/issues/1915/" rel="nofollow">http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/issues/191...</a><p>And a bit from Hearst's "New York Evening Journal" <a href="https://archive.org/stream/newyorkeveningjo1219hear#page/n0/mode/2up" rel="nofollow">https://archive.org/stream/newyorkeveningjo1219hear#page/n0/...</a>
Not to mention that federal taxes to run the federal government during this period were largely dependent on alcohol sales. Prohibition only got passed when an income tax passed. Suddenly the interests of the federal government was in line with workers.
Interesting to think that most job fields that exist today existed then. One notable exception being computer programmers, probably the number one occupation of HNers. Wonder what new job field will exist in 2115.
Fascinating reading. There were nor programmers, neither bots at that time. Conveyor belt existed though ang Mr. Ford was making his black magic from condensed sweat of American workers.
"Over the next two decades, however, streetcar lines either were bought up and then closed down by automobile companies or simply went bankrupt."<p>Ah, America.