>>939814537
Labor movement first: Unions and labor activists had been campaigning for shorter workdays since the mid-1800s. The slogan “8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest, 8 hours for what we will” came from labor struggles in the U.S. and Britain. Strikes like the Haymarket affair (1886) in Chicago were part of this push. By the early 20th century, many industries still ran workers 10–12 hours per day, 6 days a week.
Ford’s move (1914): In 1914, Henry Ford shocked industry leaders by introducing both the $5 workday and a reduction from 9-hour to 8-hour shifts at Ford Motor Company. He wanted:
>Higher productivity (shorter shifts reduced exhaustion).
>Lower turnover (his workforce was shrinking due to burnout).
>To create consumers (better-paid workers could buy Ford cars).
So his motivations weren't altruistic and his ideas weren't original.
Unions and law later: Ford’s move wasn’t the result of union pressure within his own company he fiercely resisted unions until the 1940s. But the idea of the 8-hour day had been pushed by unions for decades before Ford acted. His adoption helped normalize it in industry, and in 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act legally established the 40-hour week in the U.S.
So: unions and activists planted the seed, Ford made it mainstream in industry (for business reasons), and the government codified it later.
