The Events that Led to the 40 Hours of Work in a Week

It was not a thing for workers to work for 40 hours a day. You will still have some workers who work for over 48 hours in a week with the set working hours being 40 hours, which is 8 hours a day for five days. To be able to get the 40 hours a week, it was a struggle and from this website, you will get more info from the events that took place.

In 1817, a Welsh manufacturer proposed a day to be divided into three equal 8-hour sections. These sections of the day would be for work, recreation and rest. Many of the nations in Europe did not like the idea, but later in the US, it gained popularity. The Congress later in 1866 passed the law, but it did not take charge.

In 1867, workers requested the Illinois Legislature to limit the working hours to 8 hours. It was heard, but still some employees contracted with their employers for longer working hours. Many were not excited by this, and it led to a massive strike in Chicago on the 1st of May, and this spread to other nations in Europe. In 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant said that each company should pay a stable wage to their workers and the working hours would be 8 hours in a day.

During the 1870s and the 1880s, the trade unions and the labor unions continued to advocate for the 40 working hours in a week, and they held national strikes each day on May 1st. In 1886, a strike was organized that caused deaths and injuries of both the police and the workers.

In 1914, the Ford Motor Company implemented the eight working hours a day and an increased wage, but the workers still worked for six days. They visited the homes of their workers to see if they deserved the increased wages. In 1916 more industries instituted the 40 work week. It thus led to a strike of 4 million American workers who had not received this right.

Until 1937, the General Motors Company had not implemented the eight working hours and a stable wage for their workers. They had poor working conditions for their workers. The working hours of the workers of the GMC were reduced when they went on a strike during the Great Depression.

In 1938, President Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which saw the working hours in a week to be 44. The working hours were brought down to 40 working hours through an amendment of the court.