(C) THE MISLEADING CLAIM: Unions gave us the 8 hour work day and the 40 hour work week. THE REALITY: Labor unions had been trying for decades to reduce the work day but their goals simply werent mathematically feasible until labor productivity had increased to a point where living standards could be sustained whilst dedicating less time to manual labor. It was, instead, the advent of mass production, through the use of machinery and improved technology, which allowed laborers to produce in a single day that which used to take several. As this trend of improved productivity continued, so to did the growth of an American middle class. As well demonstrate, this has more to do with labor productivity than legislation or lobbying efforts. Until recent human history, 8 hours of labor simply wasnt productive enough to comfortably support an entire family. This is why most of the population was forced into labor intensive subsistence farming. Matter of fact, one of the most striking trends paralleling the advent of the American middle class happens to be the disintegration of this farming lifestyle. Lets take a look at a 200 year span: From 1790 to 1990 the share of the labor force involved in agriculture declined from 90% to 2.6%. 1790 90% 1800 83% 1840 69% 1850 64% 1860 58% 1870 53% 1880 49% 1890 43% 1900 38% 1910 31% 1920 27% 1930 21% 1940 18% 1950 12% 1960 8.3% 1970 4.6% 1980 3.4% 1990 2.6% At one time, 90% of all working people were farmers. This, again, was not by choice but by necessity. Thankfully, as technology made it possible for fewer farms to feed greater populations, fewer families needed to conduct local agriculture. This revolutionary change in productivity didnt manifest because someone passed a law declaring everyone could go home after 8 hours of work and magically have enough food to feed their families. No, food still physically needed to be produced in order to feed the population. This change happened as a result of drastically improved PRODUCTIVITY resulting from significant technological advancements. Another large step in increased productivity came from the implementation of steam power. As a 2006 National Bureau of Economic Research study concluded, after observing historical trends in labor productivity, “Controlling for firm size, location, industry, and other establishment characteristics, steam powered establishments had higher labor productivity than establishments using hand or animal power, or water power. ...The diffusion of steam power was an important factor behind the growth of labor productivity, accounting for 22 to 41 percent of that growth between 1850 and 1880... The lesson is simple; the less time society had to spend trying not to starve, the more it could instead spend creating new inventions, expanding infrastructure, designing machines, developing medicine, and doing all the things that make life more comfortable. Part of this additional comfort included reducing the need for excruciatingly long work days. As mentioned above, efforts by unions to shorten the work day had been around for decades, but to little avail. Just as in 1791 when Philadelphia carpenters went on strike seeking a 10 hour work day or in 1835 when different Philadelphia strikers did the same. Just as in 1864, when the Chicago labor movement began demanding an 8 hour work day, similar to the National Labor Union in 1866 who declared it necessary to free people from capitalist slavery. Just as with the Illinois strike of 1867, or the 8-hour proclamation declared by President Grant in 1869, the central demands of labor organizers in the 1870s, the objectives of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in 1884, or the American Federation of Labor in 1888, all of whom sought an 8 hour work day, little to no ACTUAL improvement resulted. And yet, their vain efforts continued. It should come as no surprise, then, that when productivity ACTUALLY advanced to a point where 8 hour work days were feasible, labor unions were there to claim credit. This is far different, however, from falsely concluding that theyre the SOURCE of said advancement. It makes little sense to attribute our advancements to those who simply made demands, when instead credit belongs to that which improved productivity. Yes, labor unions DEMANDED 8 hour work days, and yes, labor unions DEMANDED 40 hour work weeks, but they werent the SOURCE of those things. Without the productive advancements of capitalism, the hopes and dreams of labor unions never could have materialised in any sustainable fashion. For your 40 hour work week, you mostly have the market to thank. ---------------------- Sources: https://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2007/wp07105.pdf https://agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/farmers_land.htm nber.org/papers/w11931 chicagohistory.org/dramas/prologue/theLinesAreDrawn/forWhatWeWill_f.htm smallbusiness.chron/national-fair-labor-standards-act-2953.html
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 01:00:01 +0000
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