The Nine-Hour Day Arrives in Seattle
In 1889, Seattle's carpenters and contractors united to set a new standard for the workday, marking a pivotal shift in the region's labor history.
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.
Resolved, by the contractors and journeymen carpenters of Seattle, that on and after April 1, 1889, nine hours, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., shall constitute a day's work for all journeymen carpenters in Seattle: that three dollars and sixty cents ($3.60) shall be paid to competent carpenters; that overtime shall be paid for at time and a half, or at the rate of 50 cents per hour; that the men shall be paid every week.
“Resolved... that on and after April 1, 1889, nine hours, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., shall constitute a day's work for all journeymen carpenters in Seattle.”
This agreement represents a foundational moment in Seattle labor history, echoing the long-term struggle for the eight-hour day that eventually defined modern employment standards. While the 1889 construction boom saw labor and management reaching temporary accords, the underlying tension over wages and hours remains a central thread in the city's housing and construction economy today.
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