Changes in the Workplace (Lesson 3) - PDF

Changes in the Workplace Learning Objectives: In this lesson, we will explore the working conditions in factories, the impact of industrialization on women and children and how worker’s rights became a focus in the employment industry. Success criteria: Identify three key working conditions in facto...

Changes in the Workplace Learning Objectives: In this lesson, we will explore the working conditions in factories, the impact of industrialization on women and children and how worker’s rights became a focus in the employment industry. Success criteria: Identify three key working conditions in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Explain the impact of industrialization on women and children through at least two examples. Describe how workers’ rights evolved and became a central concern in the employment industry. Analyze the significance of worker’s rights movements in improving working conditions. Looking Back The most common jobs in Canada before industrialization were related to farming. Farmers depended on the help and cooperation of all family members, as well as help from neighbours. With industrialization now booming, many people were moving away from farms to find work in cities. Working in Factories Many of the jobs available in the cities were in factories. Most people who worked in the factories were either from the working class or were new immigrants. Many working-class families and new immigrants lived close to the factories in crowded neighbourhoods. What do you think it would have been like to live and work in a factory district? A factory district in Griffintown, Montreal in 1869. Looking Back Safety Concerns Working in factories meant that men, women and children were often working long hours for a very low pay. Their working conditions were were often dirty and dangerous. Accidents and fires were common. By the 1880s, provinces began to pass laws to govern safety conditions in the workplace to protect employees. However, the regulations were often ignored or violated by employers. In 1904, a fire broke out in a factory in downtown Toronto. Watch the video above and respond to the questions below. How do you think this fire affected the people living nearby and working in the factories? Historical Significance Demanding Workers’ Rights The growing gap between workers and business owners was a source of conflict in the workplace. Workers demanded change, but owners wanted to continue making large profits. Some believed that the only way for workers to improve their conditions was to band together into organizations called unions. These unions could apply pressure to employers while individual workers could not. If a person refused to work overtime hours for no pay, then the employers could fire them. As workers continued to suffer from low wages, poverty, and disease, they began to demand change. This movement to address these problems was called progressivism. Progressivism is a movement in favour of gradual, widespread change in a society. Although this video was created with American content, the ideas that occurred in the United States were shared in Canada. Connecting to Our Past Significance of Labour Day Labour Day in Canada is celebrated on the first Monday of September. It originally gave workers the chance to campaign for better working conditions or pay. The day is now part of a long weekend for many Canadians. In 1872, the Toronto Trades Assembly organized Canada’s first demonstration for workers rights. It was held to promote the release of 24 leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union who were imprisoned due to a strike they held for a nine-hour working day. Trade unions were illegal at this time. There was such an uprising of support that the house of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John MacDonald promised to repeal all Canadian laws against trade unions. This led to the Canadian Labour Congress in 1883. In 1894, Labour Day which had been celebrated in the spring, was changed to the fall to be held on the same day as the U.S. The celebration of workers’ rights continues, and many Canadians take the day to relax, take a late summer trip or get together with family and friends at picnics, fairs, and festivals. Cause and Effect The London Streetcar Strike In 1889, streetcar workers in London, Ontario, walked off the job. The 79 workers refused to work until their American employer raised their wages and shortened their work hours. Instead, the employer locked out all employees and replaced them with new, non-unionized employees known as “strikebreakers”. Thousands of people showed up at rallies and in protests to support the streetcar workers. They even stopped using the streetcar services. This is known as boycott. Boycott - a form of protest in which people refuse to buy or purchase goods or service of a business. How do you think the use of armed troops to patrol the streets would affect public opinion of the strikers and their employers? These boycotts did not work. As the protests grew in size, large riots broke out. Troops were brought in to restore order. Historical Significance The London Streetcar workers were ultimately unsuccessful in forcing their American Employer to meet their demands. Eventually, everyone began using the streetcars again. Most strikers were replaced with non-unionized workers and had to find other jobs. Although, this strike was unsuccessful, the number of strikes across Canada grew. Business owners began feeling pressured and they increased their own pressure on the government to stop unionization and strikes. Improving wages and working conditions for industrial workers was not the only issue that caused people to take action during this time. These included the rights of women and children. Looking Back In the 1700s and early 1800s, most women worked in the home raising children, preparing food, making clothes, adn caring for farm animals. They did not need a wage for this type of work. In the late 1800s, an increasing number of women began working outside of the home. Life in the city presented new opportunities for women and a chance to earn money for the work that they did. Young women often found themselves as domestic servants. A domestic servant is someone who is paid to work in someone else’s home to help look after the children or daily chores. Some women found employment opportunities in stores and offices. By 1891, women made up to 34 percent of the manufacturing workforce in Ontario. These women worked long hours, in difficult conditions and were generally paid less than the men who worked in the same jobs. Looking Back Establishing Women’s Rights In 1896, established women's groups gathered in Toronto to participate in a mock parliament session. The event was meant to imitate and “make fun” of officials in the Canadian Government. In one mock scenario, women had the right to vote. This event started the women's right to vote movement. Twenty years later, women were able to vote in Ontario. It took longer in most other provinces though. Why do you think it took so long for Canadian women to obtain the right to vote? Looking Back As the industrial revolution progressed, so did the need to employ cheap labour. Unskilled workers were the cheapest labour available to companies because they had no training or special skills. Children were the cheapest to hire. An average weekly wage of a man in Montreal in 1897 was $8.25, for a woman is was $4.50, and for a child it was $3.00. Children were employed in so many different industries. It wasn’t until 1891, that people started to question the use of child labour. Looking Back Establishing Children’s Rights Children were often seen as economic assets to families. In most cases, this meant that children who could work would work so that they could bring home their wages for the family. As wages were already considered low for adults, large families needed to find ways to survive financially. By 1887, a reporter by the name of John Joseph Kelso began to advocate for children’s rights. He wrote a series of articles about the neglected children found in the cities. He believed that children who were on the streets instead of in school would eventually turn to crime. Kelso helped found the Toronto Children’s Aid Society in 1891. The organization's original motto was, “It is less expensive to save children than to punish criminals.” Kelso was able to influence many of his Toronto readers. In 1893, the Ontario Provincial Government passed a new children’s protection act. It is known as the Children’s Charter. It protected children from abandonments, mistreatment, and neglect. Monologue for Child Labour Rubric Needs Improvement Success Criteria Written in first person Written from the character’s perspective (write in role) Included their character’s thoughts, ideas, and feelings Uses descriptive words to paint a picture in audience’s minds. Ideas are organized so that they flow well. Achieved Today, working conditions like these for children in Canada would be illegal and considered inhumane. For your final activity in this lesson, you will create a 1 minute monologue of a child who is a child labourer. A monologue is a speech given by a single character in a story or an event. Use the resources below to help you design and create a monologue. Industrial Revolution resources The Story of My Cotton Dress Mr. Coal's Story History of Child Labor The History Place: Child Labor in America 1908–1912 Spartacus Educational: Child Labour