Working Conditions
are bad!
coal mine conditions
The mines were dark, coal dust destroyed the workers lungs, there were dangers of explosions, flooding, and collapsing tunnles. Children as old as 5 would work all day in the dark pulling carts through holes 16 to 18 inches tall for 10 to 20 miles a day.
factory conditions
Men, women, and children would work 12 to16 hours a day six or seven days a week. the air was filled with lint so the workers lungs would get damaged. If a worker was tired and they were running a machine that had no safety devices they could lose a finger, limb, or even their lives. The majority of workerds were women and got paid half of what men did, the women were at work all day so they couldnt take care of stuff that needed to be done around the house.
low pay
The workers were paid unfair for working 12-16 hours a day. This would affect their home live and how they ate, men got paid 10 cents an hour, women got paid 5 cents an hour, and children got paid 1 cent an hour.
how things changed
Workers would protest for new wages, shorter hours, and better work conditions. They would stop working and break machines on purpose util they got what they wanted. Eventually laws got passed that outlawed child labor, creating 8 hour work days instead of 12, and improving safety conditions.