Low Wages: Workers were often paid very low wages, barely enough to survive. Their wages also varied depending on their gender, race, and ethnicity, with women and marginalized workers earning significantly less than white male workers.
Long Hours: Workdays were often long and exhausting, stretching for up to 12 or even 16 hours a day, six days a week. This left workers with little time for rest, socializing, or personal life.
Unsafe Working Conditions: Workplaces were typically dangerous and lacked basic safety measures. Accidents, injuries, and fatalities were common, and workers had little protection or compensation in such cases.
Child Labor: Children as young as 5 or 6 years old were often forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions. They were particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Unsanitary Housing: Many workers lived in overcrowded, unsanitary housing, which contributed to poor health and high mortality rates.
Lack of Benefits: Workers rarely received benefits such as paid time off, sick leave, or retirement plans. This made it difficult for them to save money, plan for the future, or recover from illness or injury.
The labor movement played a crucial role in improving these conditions by fighting for better wages, shorter hours, safer workplaces, and other benefits for workers. Through collective action, unions and other labor organizations were able to challenge the power of employers and create more just and humane working conditions.