Ever since the dawn of time it has been the tendency of workers to try and better their conditions, the slaves in Egypt wanted to change the way they were treated, as did the slaves in the Americas. It has also been the tendency of employers to try and get more for less. They want the most work and productivity from employees with the least amount of pay on their behalf. It is now the trend for workers in the auto industry to form unions to help them in their fight for better working conditions.
Unions date back to the days of the American Revolution when journeymen blacksmiths formed pacts to help each other receive better pay on jobs they performed and prevent underbidding on jobs. Since those days many unions have been formed, and they have helped a great many people. The best known and most influential of which is the United Auto Workers, or UAW.
Autoworkers had it rough before the days of the unions. They worked oppressive schedules, which usually ran from January through September
Child labor was also a big practice back in those days. Children would work long hours, up to 16 hours a day. They would get paid as little as half a penny for every hour they worked. Most children were employed by the age of 5, and it was likely that they would not live past 25.
Before unions, employers had it made. They could pay as little as they could get people to work for, which reduced their overhead costs. Once they paid for materials, most of what they made went straight into their pocketbooks. With the help of unions and actions such as striking, workers no have a voice in what is said and done in their place of employment. It is no wonder that the average American worker wants to be a part of a union, with the benefits involved, who wouldn't.
Then come January when the factories were coming back on-line, workers had no way of knowing if they were still going to have a job. Foremen had complete control over who was being called back to work, if workers were over 35 they were n
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