Ella's Dealing With Workers

 Dealing with Workers 

                                            By: Ella Huggin

    The relationship between workers and employers on the Transcontinental Railroad was rather uneasy. Considering that the majority of the railroad workers were Chinese, they were not treated with the respect that would have been given to them if they had been American. They were forced to live in camps with little food, water, clothing, and shelter and were expected to be nomadic with their work (they were required to travel frequently). Not only were they expected to work treacherously long hours under these conditions, but they performed the tasks for extremely low pay. Chinese laborers also had to work on unfamiliar territory far from their families or any real civilization. These facts prove that working conditions were very unstable. To improve working conditions, an employer could supply the laborers with warm clothing, adequate shelter, food, and tools. This would improve and quicken the rate at which the tracks were built. On the other hand, a worker could have improved his own working conditions by appealing to his employers. American workers were known for causing violence among other workers, while the Chinese gained the respect of their employers by avoiding uproar. While an employer was unlikely to better work conditions, the conditions will not have worsened if the workers continue to remain on task.