Having a full-time job is tough, but there is a reason to be grateful.  In modern American society, the term “full-time” means a forty hour work week (if you work over forty hours, your pay increases for the overtime).  There was a time when “full-time” basically referred to any time that you weren’t asleep.

 

During the 1800s, the United States developed into an industrial powerhouse.  Hundreds of factories were built in the nation’s large cities (such as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia).  Millions of immigrants came over from Europe to find work in these new factories, and American families left their farms in search of opportunity in the big city.  But it wasn’t easy.

 

Working in the factory meant working twelve to sixteen hour days, six days a week.  The conditions were harsh and dangerous.  If an employee lost a finger or an arm, another employee quickly replaced him, and the injured person often received no compensation for his loss.  The factory owners did not hesitate to hire young children and subject them to the same working environment.  Of course, they did not have to pay the children as much.

 

By now, you should feel lucky to live in a world with forty-hour work weeks, minimum wage, overtime pay, workers’ compensations, and other perks (i.e. vacation time, sick days, retirement packages, severance pay, etc.).  So when did all of this good stuff come about?  The American worker has been—and still is—crusading for benefits for generations, but most of the major hurdles were crossed during the Progressive Era in the early 1900s.

 

The Progressive Era was defined by a rise in the social consciousness.  The average American became aware of the hardships in society, and he set out to fix them.  One of the main issues of the time was working conditions.  More factories were being built every day, but nobody seemed to be keeping the factory managers in check.  The Progressives changed all of that.

 

In 1900, there was no such thing as a minimum wage, required working age, or a limited workday and workweek.  By 1920, all of these concepts had been introduced and enforced on the larger factories.

 

And the benefits kept on coming.  Today, most large companies are forced to offer employee’s insurance, paid leave in certain circumstances, vacation time, and retirement benefits.  Supporters of worker’s rights argue that forcing companies to provide these benefits helps to protect the “little man.”  Critics argue that the government is overstepping its authority, and that over regulation stifles business success, which hurts employees in the long run.   

 

These are all details, and politicians will argue over them for years to come.  Nobody argues, however, that working conditions in the United States are better today than they were in the mid 1800s.  You can thank the Progressives for that.