EC 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Clara Lemlich, Class Conflict, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
18 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Harsh terms of industrial labor spur reform efforts, including unionization and regulatory legislation. Industrial union movement welcomed women wage earners as both leaders and rank and file members (in contrast to many trade unions) Radical urban movements appeal to a significant minority of women workers because they link and seek to remedy gender and class based inequalities. Working class women contested gendered assumptions and celebrated personal autonomy: labor organization, consumer culture. Buildings: not structurally sound, overcrowded, fire hazards, lacked facilities, not ventilated. Work practices: sped up, machines in poor repair, too close, too loud, dangerous, wages deducted on whim, ages 14-25. Work-hours: dangerously long (7am-8pm, 6 days a week) Wages: varied by occupation, but approximately 68% of men"s wages. 1888-1894: lobbied for factory inspections (by women, public, compulsory education, sweatshop regulation, abolition of child labor. In 1892, won passage of eight-hour law for women and children: example of protective legislation , protective legislation: any law that protects workers from exploitation.
