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“Labor Strife 1835” Gouache 16 x 23"($850.)
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The event:
In 1835 a huge demonstration took place in front of the Merchant’s Exchange Building at 3rd and Walnut Streets.. Wikipedia describes it: Influenced by events in Boston, Irish workers on the Schuylkill River coal wharves went on strike for a ten-hour day. They were soon joined by workers from many other trades, including leather dressers, printers, carpenters, bricklayers, masons, house painters, bakers, and city employees.[1] On June 6, a mass meeting of workers, lawyers, doctors, and a few businessmen, was held in the State House courtyard. The meeting unanimously adopted a set of resolutions giving full support to the workers' demand for wage increases and a shorter workday, as well as increased wages for women workers and a boycott of any coal merchant who worked his men more than ten hours.[3] The strike quickly came to a close after city public works employees joined the action. The Philadelphia city government announced that the "hours of labour of the working men employed under the authority of the city corporation would be from 'six to six' during the summers season, allowing one hour for breakfast, and one for dinner."[4] On June 22, three weeks after the coal heavers initially struck, the ten-hour system and an increase in wages for piece-workers was adopted in the city. As news of the strikers' success spread to other cities, a wave of general strikes forced most of the country to adopt the same standard.[1] View at: History Making Productions Episodes |
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