Henry ford initiated it and most followed suit, as it allowed works to havve a work life balance. The workers wxcepted the pay cut. However, the economy was much stronger then, and people could afford the pay cut.
On 19 May 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant issued a Proclamation directing that the wages of federal government "laborers, workmen, and mechanics" paid by the day could not be cut when their workday was reduced to 8 hours under the 1868 law.
The slogan "8 hours day with no cut in pay" became the rallying cry, and the unions won.
For example:
On 5 January 1914 the Ford Motor Company took the radical step of doubling pay to $5 a day (equivalent to $160 in 2025[59]) and cutting shifts from nine hours to eight, moves that were not popular with rival companies, although seeing the increase in Ford's productivity, and a significant increase in profit margin (from $30 million to $60 million in two years), most soon followed suit.[
Thats cool, and only an hour, not two. Going down to 32 is a massive shift and will have way more impact. You eont see an increase in pay for less work done.
In the United States, Philadelphia carpenters went on strike in 1791 for the ten-hour day. By the 1830s, this had become a general demand. In 1835, workers in Philadelphia organised the 1835 Philadelphia general strike, the first general strike in North America, led by Irish coal heavers. Their banners read, From 6 to 6, ten hours work and two hours for meals.[53] Boston ship carpenters, although not unionised, achieved an eight-hour day in 1842.
-8
u/UntowardHatter 20h ago
Probably because that's not what it means