Part 3/12:
The workers’ plight catalyzed the formation of the first National Labor Union, advocating for fair work hours—“8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, and 8 hours for what you will.” By 1869, this chain of events led President Ulysses S. Grant to sign an executive order for an eight-hour workday for federal employees, laying the foundations for today’s workweek.
However, conditions in the private sector continued to deteriorate, with many workers clocking upwards of 100 hours per week by the end of the 19th century. The exhausting, dangerous nature of factory work resulted in high turnover rates and discontent among the workforce, driving bosses like Henry Ford to implement reforms in the early 20th century.