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Bicycle Messenger Boys And The Evolution Of American Labor Laws, Christopher A. Sweet
Bicycle Messenger Boys And The Evolution Of American Labor Laws, Christopher A. Sweet
Christopher A. Sweet
Bicycle messenger boys often conjure up images of young boy riding an early morning newspaper delivery route. Long before the newspaper delivery boy, telegraph and shipping companies exploited child bicycle messengers as a cheap form of labor. Bicycle messenger boys worked long hours under dangerous conditions for little pay. Some worked overnight delivering messages and parcels to patrons and proprietors in red light districts. Some were injured or even killed on the job. This presentation will examine how bicycle messenger boys found themselves entwined in evolving American labor laws from 1890-1940. Anti-child labor organizations such as the National Child Labor …
Bicycle Messenger Boys And The Evolution Of American Labor Laws, Christopher A. Sweet
Bicycle Messenger Boys And The Evolution Of American Labor Laws, Christopher A. Sweet
Christopher A. Sweet
This article examines how bicycle messenger boys found themselves entwined in evolving American labor laws from 1890-1940. Anti-child labor organizations such as the National Child Labor Committee used exposés of the working conditions of messenger boys to help force passage of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act. Beyond child labor laws, bicycle messenger boys also shaped workplace liability and worker’s compensation laws. Companies who employed bicycle messengers who were injured or killed on the job usually claimed the boys owned their own bicycles and worked as independent contractors rather than employees therefore absolving themselves of liability.