Pauline Newman recounts one of the abuses they went through as childcare labor. She describes their corner as the kindergarten corner. she and her workmates were between the ages of 6-8 years old. They were forced to work hours with shifts between 7:30 am to longer than 6 pm. The work involved checking garments for sewing errors such as a loose thread and correcting the error by cutting the thread off. The children had to work overtime especially during the high season. Their shifts extended to 9 pm and yet they were not entitled to any overtime pay . Instead, they got little pies, which were baked in the factory, each as payment or as a form of supper.
The children were also hidden from supervisors who sometimes came round to perform random checks. There was a clear indication that the employment of children was both illegal and immoral. The children not only endured child labor but also severe working conditions and poor pay. For only 1.5 dollars per week, equivalent to a job load similar to slavery labor. Wages were raised by 0.50 every year if your work was seen to be satisfactory. There were no off days for the workers in this factories. Monday to Sunday were also considered to be working days. In today's setting, the factory owner would be charged with child abuse, child labor, child endangerment as well as illegal wage control among others.
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The factories were dangerous places to work in. They were crowded and poorly ventilated, so there was a constant risk of respiratory diseases spreading. Furthermore, the workers were not supposed to talk to each other during working hours. This was why their supervisors wore rubber boots so that they could sneak in and catch those people who were thought to have violated the working conditions. Extended toilet breaks were not allowed as this translated into a waste of working time. Supervisors who were family members of the factory owners were allowed to monitor how much time one took in the toilet. This was a clear violation of the right to privacy. They were often locked into their workstation to prevent movement or theft. This was how more than 100 workers lost their lives in a factory fire.
Different factories had different laws though most of them blatantly violated human rights. The right to fair compensation for work done was one of those violated. The initial organization of workers to unite and advocate for their rights was formed in the early 18th century. The unions consisted of men only and women were not allowed to join. They tried to collectively raise awareness on the issues that affected them and the changes they wanted to be made. Their first attempt at unity was not successful as the members differed on ideology. This disunity led to little success in the implementation of their goals, and no lasting success was observed.
This was why many workers abandoned their unions in favor of the Industrial Workers of the World. This was a union that did not discriminate against any race or gender. Their composition gave them a large membership base that allowed them to have impacted their employers through strikes and other civil actions. The union enjoyed 15 years of advocacy before it fell apart on governance issues. The major problems they tried to address were the bad wage bill which they wanted to be replaced with a fair compensation mechanism. This included the establishment of working hours, shifts and a mandatory day off. They were also demanding fair and safe working conditions and liberty to interact with each other. Justice knows the arbitration of cases between the wealthy class and the poor working class was another major issue that the union tried to address.
The fires that claimed the lives of many workers were eye-opening phenomena for many. The workers got to see first-hand how the law favored the rich over the poor. This was partly because the law enforcers had invested money into this corporations and they did not wish to hurt their business prospects. Also, there was a lack of a strong union to oversee the implementation of conditions of impending strikes. To make cases worse, striking workers were often shut down by instructions from the courts. The workers, therefore, full into a vicious cycle of disgruntlement, uprising and then suppression. It wasn't until this level of control began to affect the small businessman that the upper middle class began to take action.
Women like Pauline Newman were the new faces and voices of advocacy for a large number of women who worked in such factories. After one major fire at Triangle Shirtwaist Company, the workers were furious because of the conduct of the factory owner. The owner had used his insurance pay off to rebuild the factory similarly as it had been before and then reopened his operation. Nothing was said about the lost li lost. The workers were left on their own while the courts absolved the plant owners of any wrongdoing. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. There was an uprising of the working class and the general public as workers sought justice for the victims of the fire. Many of them had no relatives to fight for them as they were young immigrants with no family present. The public outcry was what led the labor movement into a transition that saw the better terms and conditions that are employed to date.
