Imagine being an employee where you have no security in keeping your job, where your employers would not care whether or not you were there working for them. Also, what would happen if you got injured on your job site and your income disappears because you couldn’t work? You would not have a way to pay your bills or get your daily needs just because of an accident that you could not have control over. You shouldn’t have to worry constantly about losing your position at work. This is why we have groups of people able of bargaining with employers to make the work industry fair for everyone.
Triangle Fire: Chapter 1 Reading Response Factories were popping up all over the United States and offered work for many poor people. The conditions were terrible and many workers were injured or even killed on the job. “By one estimate, one hundred or more Americans died on the job every day in the booming industrial years around 1911” (Drehle 3). Despite the dangerous conditions, the owners did nothing to change it. They just hired the next person to ensure that they would continue to make money, so many of the workers were involved in strikes.
Labor Union strikes were the most prominent form of worker insurrection against employers. During the period of 1875-1900, many labor unions participated in strikes, however many of them failed to achieve their goals. The biggest reason that farmers and workers went on strike was clearly stated by a machinist before the Senate Committee on Labor and Capital. Because machines were taking jobs away, workers would lose their livelihood, and most likely their only source of income. In the year of 1877, employees working for the four largest railroads went on strike due to the fact that their employers cut their wages by 10 percent; this was known as the Great Rail Road Strike.
Second, the people who really need it like a single mother or father, maybe even a family where 1 or both parents got laid off and can’t support their family, are rejected because they supposedly make enough to support everyone when they don’t. I know this because my parents knew these people and it is very hard for a family in this economy to get rejected support. Third of all, people go to get food stamps and section 8 support but they lie about stuff on their application just to get it. Half of the people that do have government support and very well capable of getting a job and supporting themselves but they don’t want to. So when you really think about is Government support good or bad?
In 1877 the United States began to build a railroad that was going to go from coast to coast. A lot of human labor was needed in order to achieve this goal, many workers began to work for the government since the government was the one funding this project. Many workers at this period of time began to complain about their conditions of life and labor. Government paid them not a fair wage, and obligated them to work more than 10 hours per day. Too many workers were injured with the new machinery because a lot of them did not have the proper training to operate those type of equipments.
People were being constantly threatened by unsafe working conditions, long working hours, dirt, pollution, and infections. Government was finally forced to employ restrictions on businesses since people were questioning whether the businesses turned into completely self-regulatory money-making factories. However, since it was not possible for the employers to employ children as a cheap work force and had to provide care for the other workers, they tried to look for a solution elsewhere. Another problem was the fall of agriculture since almost all the work force moved to the industrial field. Thirdly, the lack of resources, or rather the high amount of expenses that had to be made in order to gain access to the resources created problems for manufacturers.
Furthermore I also find it hard to believe the fact that a lot of the professional athletes complain to the world that they can’t support their families. How is that even possible when everyone else in the world finds a way to make it with just a portion of the money that the athletes make. The athletes just start out greedy and continue to get even greedier. But really they have nothing to get mad about they can buy a house that cost less than 10 million dollars just like anyone else can. Maybe they need a good slap to the face and we should not pay them what they want, so what if they said they won’t play because I guarantee there are people out there that will play for way less money.
In my opinion, I quite agree with him. He also states "People lost their jobs because factories were losing orders". This implies that people in 1848 couldn't even afford food with or without the food prices rising. Therefore, I wouldn't agree on that statement. Many people had signed the petition because they were fighting for their rights.
Many people spend all day everyday for weeks, months or years trying to find a job. Eventually finding it so tedious they just plain flat out give up the search. Only to have to raise the white flag go to the unemployment office and say "check please". Even if you are lucky enough to find a job odds are unless you have lots of experience, prior knowledge or a college degree you will be getting an entry level job.Earning minimum wage or not much more than that.Certainly not enough to live on these days single or married.It seems as if the odds are already against us and it doesn't help that our economy is just about at it's lowest any of us have ever seen. For quite some time now the story is the same every day.
Many companies do not believe in their workers; thus, they need to test them once in a while. Workers also show abased attitude toward their employers. Most workers choose to simply do enough work to stay out of trouble. Walderman criticizes many people for causing this situation in the workforce. He criticizes the media for not reporting the labor issues.