The National Labor Union can be credited with the implementation of the eight-hour workday.Group of answer choicesTrueFalse

Eight-hour dayInitially only a minority of workers, mainly in the building trades, won the eight-hour day. Most workers, including women and children, generally worked longer hours for less pay.The fight for working conditions continued throughout the 19th century. It was not until 1916 that the Eight Hours Act was passed in Victoria and New South Wales.It would not be until January 1948 that the Commonwealth Arbitration Court approved a 40-hour, five-day working week for all Australians.142

_________ is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task.

Work performed beyond 8 hours on a holiday or rest day shall be paid an additional compensation equivalent to the rate of the first 8 hours on a holiday or rest day plus at least _____ percent thereof

Workers Rise Up: Development of Labor UnionsAs business leaders gained profits, exploitation and unsafe working conditions drew workers together in a nationwide labor movement. Laborers—skilled and unskilled, female and male, black and white—joined together in unions to try to improve their conditions. One of the largest employers, the steel mills, often demanded a seven-day workweek. Seamstresses, like factory workers in most industries, worked 12 or more hours a day, six days a week. Employees were not entitled to vacation, sick leave, unemployment compensation, or reimbursement for injuries suffered on the job. Yet injuries were common. In dirty, poorly ventilated factories, workers had to perform repetitive tasks, sometimes with dangerous or faulty equipment. In 1882, an average of 675 laborers were killed in work-related accidents each week. In addition, wages were so low that most families could not survive unless everyone held a job. Between 1890 and 1910, for example, the number of women working for wages doubled, from 4 million to more than 8 million. Twenty percent of the boys and 10 percent of the girls under age 15—some as young as five years old—also held full-time jobs. With little time or energy left for school, child laborers forfeited their futures to help their families make ends meet. In sweatshops, or workshops in tenements rather than in factories, workers had little choice but to put up with the conditions. Sweatshop employment, which was tedious and required few skills, was often the only avenue open to women and children.In 1869, the first union, or workers’ organization, was created called the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor. The Knights supported an eight-hour workday and advocated “equal pay for equal work” by men and women. They let all workers join, regardless of skill, race, or gender. The goal of a union is to advocate for worker’s rights through power in numbers. Workers don’t have money or power, but they have numbers, and if they refuse to work, employers will lose profits. Unions used a variety of tactics, including collective bargaining (bargaining for rights as a whole group), lock-ins (locking yourself in the factory), walk outs, boycotts and strikes. In retaliation, bosses would hire alternate workers, known as scabs, have lock outs, or get an injuction (court order) against unions. Many times, business owners reacted to union protests with violence and intimidation.The second famous union, the American Federation of Labor (AFL), was led by Samuel Gompers and used collective bargaining to reach agreements on wages, hours, and working conditions. The AFL only allowed white male skilled workers to join. Unlike the Knights of Labor, the AFL used strikes as a major tactic. Successful strikes helped the AFL win higher wages and shorter workweeks. Some labor leaders felt that unions should include all laborers—skilled and unskilled—in a specific industry. In an attempt to solve the problems faced by workers, Eugene Debs and some other labor activists eventually turned to socialism, an economic and political system based on government control of business and equal distribution of wealth. In 1905, a group of radical unionists and socialists in Chicago organized the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), or the Wobblies. Industry and government responded forcefully to union activity, which they saw as a threat to the entire capitalist system. Police often attacked union picket lines, and violence was common. On the evening of May 4, 1886, 3,000 people gathered at Chicago’s Haymarket Square to protest police brutality—a striker had been killed and several had been wounded at the McCormick Harvester plant the day before. Rain began to fall at about 10 o’clock, and the crowd was dispersing when police arrived. Then someone tossed a bomb into the police line. Police fired on the workers; seven police officers and several workers died in the chaos that followed. No one ever learned who threw the bomb, but the three speakers at the demonstration and five other radicals were charged with inciting a riot. All eight were convicted; four were hanged and one committed suicide in prison. In 1892, steel workers went on strike at Andrew Carnegie’s Homestead steel plant, and nine workers were killed. This was known as the Homestead Strike.Although women were barred from many unions, they united behind powerful leaders to demand better working conditions, equal pay for equal work, and an end to child labor. Perhaps the most prominent organizer in the women’s labor movement was Mary Harris Jones. Jones supported the Great Strike of 1877 and later organized for the United Mine Workers of America (UMW). She endured death threats and jail with the coal miners, who gave her the nickname Mother Jones. In 1903, to expose the cruelties of child labor, she led 80 mill children— many with hideous injuries—on a march to the home of President Theodore Roosevelt. Their crusade influenced the passage of child labor laws.Legal limitations made it more and more difficult for unions to be effective. Court orders and federal troops were consistently used to stop workers from organizing. Many politicians received money from business leaders, and so used their power to ensure that the bosses, and not the workers, remained in power. Despite these pressures, workers—especially those in skilled jobs—continued to view unions as a powerfulQUESTION 710 pointsWhat is union? Why were unions created during the Industrial Revolution?

ComprehensionFive young people are having an informal conversation in the office cafeteria on whether private companies should make it a 4-day working week instead of 5 (or 6) working days.  Susie: A 4-day workweek not only improves staff retention, employer engagement and coordination but it also reduces tension. And further, reducing workers’ daily hours to a 4-day workweek has a little negative impact on their morale or the performance of the enterprise. Lisa: I agree with Susie. In fact, a 4-day work model was also tested in Japan’s offices of Microsoft, resulting in a 40% increase in productivity and about 20% reduction in travel costs of employees. In countries such as New Zealand and Sweden too, similar models have proven to be a success.  Henry: I do not particularly agree with Susie’s point. You talk about a 4-day work model reducing the employees stress levels. But what about the additional 2 hours you need to put in for the rest of the 4 days, which disturbs the rhythm of various other routine services? Additionally, I will feel the pressure of taking the call from my teammates or seniors even on my weekly off since they would officially be working on that day. How fair is that? Jack: Hey! Let’s calm down. Let’s not attack each other’s opinions. The purpose of having this discussion is to bring forth the pros and cons of a 4-day work routine to the HR department. Once they get the views from every department, they will be able to design a policy that works for all of us. In fact, we should write down our thoughts, so that we do not forget these thought-provoking reasons.  Chris: Thanks, Jack! I agree with you. Let’s not forget that ‘Change is the only constant’, and in these uncertain times, our company's effort even to think about discussing this radical change is worth appreciating. In fact, any transformative change starts with a healthy, yet critical debate, and opens the door to beautiful possibilities. Based on the above discussion, answer the below questions:Question 2/2MandatoryInfluencingWhich character’s argument made the most sense to you?[This is an opinion poll question.]SusieLisaHenryJackChris