Workers - American Worker Issues

Industrialization rapidly increased from 1865 and 1900 and that lead to an increased need for workers. There for, immigration increased during this time period because of increased wage opportunities and the search for cheap labor. That meant that the American worker had a hard time finding jobs. With all of the cheap labor, corporations tried to make as much as they could. That led to conditions that were not adequate and the formation of labor unions that pursued more reasonable elements of labor such as a shorter number of hours in the workweek. They provided the chance for the American worker to fight for better conditions.

Immigration increased rapidly because the wages that could be earned were much higher in America than then in the immigrant's native countries even though the conditions in which they worked and lived were terrible. The influx of immigrants put tremendous pressure on the American industrial worker because there were only a certain amount of jobs available. That is because it was easier for immigrants to find jobs. They were willing to work for less and so they undercut what the American industrial worker was willing to work for. With all of the easy labor companies did not have to spend much in terms of wages and so would have a harder time hiring those people that did the same amount of work for more.

Labor Unions had a large positive impact on the American industrial worker because they gave them the opportunity to fight for better conditions. The conditions in which the industrial workers worked were horrendous and the pay was low. Both of those factors led to strikes. In many cases these strikes were brutally put down but over time they gradually won concessions. The early labor unions impacted the American industrial worker by allowing them to unite and challenge their employers. Labor Unions also provided them with a chance, although it was not completely risk free, to better their circumstances. There was a certain