Bread before roses: American workingmen, labor unions and the family wage

In the Progressive era, however, the idea of a living wage won widespread accc:ptance. By 1918, the authors of a social survey of Philadelphia could state confidently:

Nowadays very few persons object to the principle of a living wage. It is generally agreed that the humblest worker is entitled to a return for his services that will enable him to support himself and his family in decency and comfort.2