Editing Immigration Wave 1870-1920 (section)

== Labor and Industry ==

Immigrant labor powered Philadelphia's industrial economy during the age of mass production. Factory owners actively recruited immigrant workers, who would accept wages and conditions that native-born Americans might reject. The textile mills of Kensington employed Italian and Jewish women alongside Irish workers who had arrived earlier. Construction projects drew on gangs of Italian laborers. Machine shops and foundries employed skilled workers from Germany and other European countries with strong industrial traditions. The division of labor often followed ethnic lines, with particular groups concentrated in particular industries or occupations—patterns that reflected both employer preferences and the ethnic networks through which jobs were obtained.<ref name="golab"/>

Working conditions in Philadelphia's factories were often harsh. Long hours, low wages, dangerous conditions, and authoritarian management characterized much industrial employment. Labor organizing was difficult when workforces were divided by ethnicity and language, and employers sometimes deliberately mixed ethnic groups to prevent solidarity. Yet workers did organize, and immigrant workers participated in the labor struggles that characterized the era. The [[General Strike of 1835]] had won the ten-hour day, but enforcement was inconsistent and longer hours remained common. Progressive Era reforms—child labor laws, workplace safety regulations, workers' compensation—gradually improved conditions, though much remained to be done.<ref name="weigley"/>