A story headlined ‘A Brutal End’ in the Sept. 9, 2021 edition of the North Coast Journal contained inaccurate information regarding millworkers’ wages in 1935. Prior to striking, millworkers were earning a going rate of 35 cents an hour for 60-hour work weeks. The Journal regrets the error.
This article appears in Otter Joy.
Wow. $0.35 an hour for a 60 hour work week. Absolutely amazing. Exploitation of the average ordinary worker. Things have come a long ways with the onset of unionization paving the way. Compensation and benefits much improved since 1935. Certainly a much more worker friendly environment.
$0.35/hr in 1935 equates to $7 per hour today. The minimum wage in parts of the United States is now $7.25.
Has there been progress? Yes, certainly, especially for those who are able to be part of a union.
Has it been as substantial as is often claimed? Probably not. The huge increase in wealth that technology has brought about has gone mostly to a tiny minority at the top. Unions are struggling, police are still breaking heads, and the greediest are still celebrated.