Amoroso 1 Eric Amoroso Lars Peterson The Immigrants Struggle Labor rights in the U.

S have endured a long and violent struggle. Immigrants originally flocked to the booming U.S industries only to be met with life threatening working conditions. The first generation of immigrants were able to endure by living and helping each other in closely linked communities while subsequent generations were able to pursue workers rights through legislation. For the first generation of immigrants, securing a steady job and home was the primary goal. Needing some semblance of solidarity, many immigrants lived in communities inhabited by their own ethnicity. Without widespread education to teach English, immigrants formed community bonds to work together to survive. Ethnic majorities in certain parts of cities are evident of this today. Many families were considered lucky if they were able to rent out one room. This type of boarding was very common since not only the renter needed land, but the house-owner often needed extra funds. At the same time, securing a steady location was difficult since most entry-level jobs were unstable in employment. Workers could get fired without much notice, and if that would happen, the workers would have to move to the next closest job they could find. Families often had to migrate and continue boarding in one rooms until they achieved a reliable source of income. Political activism was limited amongst the first generation, since many considered themselves lucky if they could get paid regularly. Working conditions were abysmal and were often the cause of death for many immigrants. It was not profitable for the early, booming industries to invest in safe machines and protocol since workers were seen as replaceable due to influx of immigrants. In the novel, Kracha is motivated by these working conditions to start his own business, which was one way to avoid these death mills. In the late 1800s the labor organization known as the Knights of Labor first started initiating the workers rights movements through worker strikes and successful boycotts of products sold by oppressive companies. Its membership peaked at 700,000 in 1885 (Henretta 566). To improve conditions,

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confrontation was also used, resulting in the bloody Homestead Strike. The deaths of those workers who were gunned down would slowly influence the mass population that reform was needed. At home, women were the managers that kept the house functioning and livable. Bell captures the nonstop, working womans experience perfectly; With six boarders, three children and a husband to look after, meals to cook, clothes to wash, her hours were from four-thirty in the morning to nine at night, seven days a week (Bell 173). This was the expectation for wives but for women who were widowed or unmarried, it became more common for these women to enter the work force. Societal views disapproved of this, but their labor was a necessity for many working-class families. By 1900, women made up a quarter of this work force (Henretta 558). By the time the first generation had settled and had kids, families were able to enroll their kids into schools. This allowed their children to have the potential to learn English, as well as educate them politically to enable them to have a stronger voice for civil rights. Working-class families often participated in a religious community, whether it was Protestantism, Catholicism, or Judaism. Here, ethnicities and communities became closer and strived to help each other financially and mentally. After a generation of difficulties and struggles, progressive idealism began to spread throughout the population. The most important source of this idealism was religion, which taught to care for the plight of the poor and to strive for social justice (Henretta 641). Immigrants who now had a secure foundation sought to improve their work life by raising wages and improving work environment conditions. Union representation escalated by the early 1900s, and by the time the American Federation League and the Civilian Industrial Organization were gaining power, these second generation immigrants fought for workers rights in the political arena. In Bells novel we see Dobie testify against the company union E.R.P to the Labor Board so that a union that would actually pursue workers interests, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, would be able to be elected as union representation. These elected unions were able to quell the almost tyrannical power employers had in the late 1800s. Workers were no longer fired let alone killed for union actions. This trend of protecting the common worker would culminate with the New Deal, most notably the legislation that passed Social Security and the Wagner Act.