The fact is that left to their own devices and no government regulation or worker organization history shows that business owners often were not saints themselves.
It was not uncommon for them to intentionally depress wages in collusion with each other affecting entire industries and also turn a blind eye to work conditions and workers safety.
A minimum wage requirement is not overbearing when we look at the historically bad conditions that not having one allowed for.
The birth of the Teamsters Union documents just how poorly workers were once treated in America.
Before organizing in a truckers life, jobs were insecure, they were often forced to drive extremely unsafe trucks in need of major mechanical repair and poverty was commonplace. In 1900, the typical trucker worked 12-18 hours a day, seven days a week for an average wage of $2 per day. A trucker was expected not only to haul his load, but to also assume liability for bad accounts and for lost or damaged merchandise. The work left truckers assuming all of the risks with little chance for reward.
In 1901, frustrated and angry drivers banded together to form the Team Drivers International Union (TDIU), with an initial membership of 1,700. The following year, some members broke away, forming a rival group, the Teamsters National Union.
The Teamsters Union was founded in 1903. Originally a union that represented truck drivers.
