Elizabeth Morgan, crusader for labor reform

Nell Nelson andThe Chicago Times“City slave girls” series

“…The first and most influential of the organizations formed as a direct result of Neslon's exposé series was the Illinois Woman's Alliance (IWA;Foner, 1955, pp. 190-1;Scharnau, 1973). Records from the Ladies' Federal Labor Union (LFLU) meeting held on August 18, 1888, indicate little else other than Nelson's articles were discussed (Morgan Collection; a microform copy of scrapbooks kept by Elizabeth Morgan, an individual instrumental in founding the Illinois Woman's Alliance and chair of the IWA's Child Labor Committee).…”

“…To the IWA, these were causes they were passionate about, passion that arose out of the knowledge brought to them by Nell Nelson and The Chicago Times (The Woman's Alliance, 1889). Elizabeth Morgan, one of the original LFLU members involved in the formation of the IWA and Chair of the IWA Child Labor Committee (Scharnau, 1973) said, "Until the Times took up the cause of the working girls, not a hand was raised in their defense" (The Morgan Collection). Corinne Brown, another LFLU member who became head of the IWA's education committee agreed with Morgan, noting, "We are in a position to know and the exposure of these truths touches us" (The Morgan Collection).…”

“…It had estimated there to be 50,000 children between the ages of seven and 14 that were either employed in sweatshops or wandering the streets of Chicago (The Morgan Collection). On December 10, 1888, the IWA petitioned the Chicago Common Council (CCC) to enact compulsory education legislation (Letter from the Chicago Trade, 1888), and in early 1889, the IWA sponsored a compulsory education bill before the state legislature providing for a 12 to 24 week school year for children between the ages of seven and 14 (Scharnau, 1973; The Morgan Collection). The compulsory education bill was passed in May 1889 and despite some loopholes allowing for legal exemption with parental consent, the IWA viewed this as a substantial victory (Tax, 1980, p. 76).…”

“…Building on the momentum started by the IWA, in August, 1891, the CTLA launched an investigation into the sweatshop conditions present in garment factories. A three-person team consisting of Elizabeth Morgan, an officer from the city Health Department, and the city attorney were accompanied by a group of reporters and sketch artists, and set out to invade local shops and interview workers (Scharnau, 1973). The results of their visits to over 30 sweatshops were published in a widely distributed (over 10,000 copies) pamphlet titled, "The New Slavery: Investigation into the Sweating System" (The Morgan Collection, Scharnau, 1973;Foner, 1955, p. 191).…”

Subcontracting and low pay kill: lessons from the health and safety consequences of sweated labour in the garment industry, 1880–1920

“…37 Another activist socialist, Elizabeth Morgan, Kelley, unions, and women's organisations used public health concerns to secure a Sweatshop Act in the state of Illinois that set minimum sanitary standards and regulated the employment of children and working hours of women. 38 Further, in a precursor to recent 'fair wear' campaigns in Europe, North America and Australasia, Kelley and others also championed efforts to use consumer pressure against the sweating system, most notably through the National Consumers' League. 39 In Australia, the situation was similar.…”