Labor In The 19th Century

Labor workforce from the 19th Century to the 20th Century and the forces of Change
Introduction
The focus of this research is the outlook of the American workforce composition difference from the 19th century to the 20th Century and the forces of change. Throughout this research analysis, one will be able to see some but not all of the different changes in labor and the forces of those changes. The shifting of labor will always be something that is happening throughout the very existence of itself. What I believe is important is counting the changes and analyzing the improvements that the workforce has underwent in these two centuries and venturing on to analyze how we have improved and how we can improve today. The many forces of changes
Labor was needed to operate the machines but it required proper skills and training to run production by using special machine equipment. At this particular time, labor was very gruesome compared to the 20th century in The United States. Human Automation in the workforce was dominant to meet the demands of increased productivity. Technology’s such as the Assembly line allowed the employers to push employees to work harder every day to speed up production as much as possible. Henry Ford, known as the entrepreneur and creator of the Assembly line used this technique to make employees work harder for little wages that barely met living standards and longer work days. Donkin states that at the time of 1911-1912, “78,440 Model Ts were made by 6, 867 workers and by 1912-1913 after the publication of Taylors Science and Management, the workforce was able to double the number of cars” (Donkin 148). Technology in the 20th century was a major development from the 19th century that brought economic changes. The presence of technological improvements was present and more widely available than ever before. The list of technological improvements range from communication devices, measuring devices, computer controlled equipment, the x-ray, wind tunnel, circuit breaker, transistor, Geiger counter, laser, neon lamp and the atomic clock are just a few. Electrical powered machines became present and air conditioning,
The causes of the fluctuations have been analyzed in my previous research. Technology, Strikes, wars, Dissension among ranks, and employer’s outlook on labor has led to many dramatic changes in organized labor throughout America. Organized labor from the turn of the 20th century has improved Benefits and Compensation in the American workforce. The 1900 consisted of a per capita income (in 1999 dollars) of $ 4,200 and 33, 700 in 1999. The average brick layer earned $0.750 per 44 hours of work in 1913 and later increased to $1.250 by 1920. Wages and salaries heightened the economic period of the 20th century. Benefits became a major part the employee compensation at the end of the 20th century. In the mid 19th century, the average American worked…“10 hour shifts, 6 days a week, for wages barley enough to survive” (Organized labor 1). At this time Hunter states that…”government unemployment and disability insurance did not exist, so unions provided them. Employers did not extend health and life insurance to workers, so unions did” (Hunter 1). Statistic show that benefits accounted for a little more than 1 percent of total compensation in 1929. Payment by employers for injuries or in some cases compensation for occupational diseases were not known to the American labor Force. While compensation was zero, most laborers worked for wages that were barely enough to survive.