The Teamsters’ Fight for the Sunday Off
A landmark report on how the International Brotherhood of Teamsters transformed the lives of workers by ending mandatory Sunday labor.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has performed done wonders for its membership within the past five years, more than any other organization of labor. It is a well-known fact that before the teamsters of this country were organized, the life of the average individual working at that craft in the large cities and towns was perhaps the hardest kind of existence for a workingman. Unusually hard work, long hours and small pay were the conditions that surrounded the life of the teamsters. Up to within a few years ago, Sunday work was almost as common as employment during any other day of the week, because if the teamster was not working on the street or around the warehouse on Sunday, he was usually busy at the stable taking care of horses, harness, and wagons. But since organization has taken place among the men, a complete change has been brought about. Wages have been increased from 30 to 60 percent. Hours of labor have been regulated, and overtime is now being paid. Sunday work is now primarily handled by men employed specially for that task, and the rank and file are no longer required to appear at the stable on Sundays.
“Today the membership of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters would perhaps give up anything they have in the world rather than surrender their labor union.”
This 1910 account captures the early, hard-fought industrial shift toward the 'weekend' as a protected right. Today, the debate over work-life balance continues in the gig economy, where the 'always-on' expectations for delivery drivers and warehouse workers echo the struggles described here.
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