Social justice is based on the concept of society and individual and can be defined as the just and fair distribution of opportunities in terms of wealth, activities performed by people and the social privileges. When all these elements are fulfilled, individuals are expected to receive their dues based on what they have done. Social justice creates harmony within the society and country as a whole. The inability to meet the requirements for social justice creates havoc within the society (Robinson, 2013). The fight for social justice has been on for many years in most countries and such can be seen in Chicago, United States where workers fought for their rights. Due to the various movements that planned for strikes and protests as it will be discussed in the paper, the people Chicago faced challenges while on the other hand, it bore some fruits.
According to the article, ‘Reading the 1894 Pullman Strike’ of 1894, the ‘Pullman Strike’ that occurred due to underpayment and increased standards of living for the Pullman Company employees had it is own consequences to the people of Chicago. The strike, which disrupted the work of the railroads caused inconveniences in terms of travelling for the people. Railroad transport was the main form of transport in Chicago. On the other hand, it caused delay in transportation of manufactured goods, livestock, fuel, farm produce and mails in the US. This delay caused a drop in the economic growth of the country by 10% and there were increased unemployment rates too. Furthermore, people of Chicago died due to the mass protests that occurred and many more others were arrested including the leader of the Union, Debs, who was the activist against the Pullman Company. At the end of it all, the Union Members protesting against the company could not win and hence had to be employed back to the company to sustain their life. Smith (2004) says the move from the Pullman Company further attracted the attention of the government which supported the need for unions that would look after the rights of the workers.
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In another article by Wade (2004), the people of Chicago with the help of their union, ‘American Federation of Labor’ fought against the long working hours and lower wages in the meat packing industries. The author says the long working hours were brought about by the fact that the railroads were functioning and there was increased transportation of commodities especially meat. This move led to industrial revolution in the United States and especially Chicago where more cold houses had to be built to handle the increasing production of meat. The increased labor was compensated with minimal wages that led to more than 50,000 workers leaving their jobs thus creating a high population of unemployed people in Chicago.
In ‘The Dramas of Haymarket’ by Smith (2004), the workers fought against the long working hours and the author says that every person who was involved asked questions revolving around social justice. The protests organized led to imprisonment and execution of some of the activists of the movement. On the other hand, there was bombing that claimed lives and many more other people were injured during the bombing. The situation created bitterness among the people. In another article by Moberg (2005), the workers of different companies in Chicago fought for equal rights in places of work especially the women. At the end of it all, more women were being offered more positions that had earlier been known to belong to men. The knitting industries employed more women. The growth of industries led to increased chances of employment among the people.
There are similarities that exist in the sources discussed above. Each source has been able to highlight the problems the workers in Chicago faced. The problems that can be picked from each source are; long working hours, low wages, unemployment and high living standards. Due to the problems faced, the people had to seek for solutions through unions which further organized protests against the problems faced. The unions fought for the eight-hour working period for the workers, better compensation in terms of the wages given and free or affordable accommodation for the workers from the various employers. Furthermore, more industries were put up to accommodate the unemployed population. The construction of more industries also led to equality. Women now had a chance in the job market and there were seen to take up more roles than before. Better wages and affordable accommodation would in turn enable the people sustain the high standards of living. In the fight to address the grievances, there was loss of life. People died during the protests, some of them were arrested and many more sustained injuries.
The similarities that exist from the different articles indicate the importance of unions in the workforce. Some of the grievances of the workers of Chicago were addressed by the unions that had been formed. The unions were on the forefront in to fighting for the rights of the workers. Some of the claims addressed by the unions failed for example the better wages in the Pullman Strike; on the other hand, some were worked on and changed like the long working hours. The people of Chicago in collaboration with their unions fought for what they knew belonged to them and all they were in need of was social justice.
In conclusion, the fight for social justice in Chicago was a matter of debate and many questions around the workforce including the duration one is supposed to work, amount of property one has to accumulate and how one should live were points of discussion for the people of Chicago. Through their unions, some of the questions were answered while some were not dealt with. The fight for social justice is still on in the United States and in many more other countries.
References
Chapter Three: Reading the 1894 Pullman Strike (1894). Chicago’s Daily Papers Report News . 51-74
Moberg, D. (2004). Work. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1381.html
Robinson, M. (2013). What is Social Justice? Department of Government and Justice Studies. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from http://gjs.appstate.edu/social-justice-and-human-rights/what-social-justice
Smith, C. (2004). Pullman Strike. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1029.html
Smith, C. (2004). The Dramas of Haymarket. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from http://www.chicagohistory.org/dramas/overview/over.htm
Wade, C. L. (2004). Meatpacking. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/804.html
