The Baker’s Strike: Twelve Hours for $12
In a bold move against grueling labor conditions, Seattle’s bakers are contemplating a strike to demand shorter hours and fair wages, challenging the era's standard of 18-hour workdays.
The bakers contemplate a strike for 12 hours a day and $12 a week. They now work 18 hours and receive $12 per week.
(Note: This brief notice appeared in the 'Financial and Commercial' section of the Puget Sound Dispatch, Seattle, W.T., Thursday, October 17, 1872.)
This tiny snippet from 1872 captures the brutal reality of early Pacific Northwest labor: an 18-hour workday for a mere $12 weekly wage. It mirrors modern conversations about the 'gig economy' and living wages, reminding us that the fight for reasonable working hours and fair compensation in service industries has been a century-long struggle.
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