It was led by a group of one hundred and one women weavers who walked out from their jobs. It was successful; a settlement was reached in June and the women returned to their jobs. It was formed in in order to protest for higher wages and better working conditions. The union raised awareness of the poor conditions faced by textile workers at the time and blamed their strife on the system of male dominance in factories.
The employer responded by taking them to court for conspiracy to harm commerce and the tailors were found guilty. This was a major setback for trade unions at the time. The loom workers walked out and other skilled workers joined them in a sympathy strike. As a result, the lunch hour was eventually restored. It was created by the Committee of Fifty, which was a group of skilled workers who met to organize a resistance effort against lengthening their 10 hour work days.
There was some public support but, due to sexist views of women in the workplace, the strike was unsuccessful, and the women were forced to return to work in July of that year with no wage increase. They formed to advocate for a hour work week, arguing that the reduction in their hours would improve conditions for laborers as it would allow them time to enjoy other interests and hobbies outside of work.
They were able to garner some support from other skilled workers. Despite this, half of them returned to work after 10 days and the ones who persisted were replaced. The proposal for a ten-hour workday was rejected. The first one was formed in New York in August of It included members of nine different trades.
The women stated that they would not go back to work unless their wages were restored and they were all rehired. It is important to note that these General Trade Unions focused only on the rights of white male workers, excluding both women and people of color from their mission. Irish workers in the Schuylkill River coal docks, house painters, masons, blacksmiths, and more all joined the strike as part of the hour workday movement.
