We at Basecamp love to preach the virtues of the 8-hour work day, but where did it come from? (Hint: Not from Henry Ford!) Labor historian Emily Twarog explains the origins of the 8-hour work day and why it was so short-lived in the U.S.

Show Notes

"This CEO thinks it's crazy to work more than 40 hours a week" (CNN) - 00:34

"Extreme Capitalism with Jason Calacanis," the episode that credits Henry Ford with the 8-hour work day - 1:04

"Did the 8-hour day and the 40-hour week come from Henry Ford, or labor unions?" (Politifact) - 1:06

Emily Twarog | Twitter - 1:10

"The Mill Girls of Lowell" (National Park Service) - 1:54

The Lowell Offering - 3:04

"Fire of 1871" (Encyclopedia of Chicago) - 3:51

A history of McCormick's reaper works factory - 4:59

An overview of the Haymarket Riot - 5:24

A history of the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912 - 5:54

The U.S. Department of Labor's history of the Fair Labor Standards Act - 11:02

The National Labor Relations Board's FAQs on the National Labor Relations Act - 11:06

Fight for $15 - 29:17

"She was Instacart's biggest cheerleader. Now she's leading a worker revolt" (Washington Post) - 29:29

Emily Twarog's book, Politics of the Pantry: Housewives, Food, and Consumer Protest in Twentieth-Century America - 31:25

Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor by Steven Greenhouse - 31:36

On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger - 31:45

Work, Rest, and What You Will

REWORK