Winning the Eight-Hour Day, 1909–1919
- 1 June 1990
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in The Journal of Economic History
- Vol. 50 (2), 393-406
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022050700036512
Abstract
The American workers' quest for an eight-hour day finally came to an end around 1919. I argue that the most important factors behind the rapid decline in manufacturing hours in the decade before 1919 include the rapid expansion of the economy, which increased wages and drew new participants into the manufacturing sector; the reduction of immigration during the war; the growth in organized labor's strength; federal and state legislation that mandated reduced work weeks; and the electrification of the manufacturing sector.Keywords
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