Hiring Workers/dealing w/workers

  Hiring workers- Chinese peasants from the Canton Province began arriving on California's shores in 1850, being pushed by poverty and overpopulation from their homeland. In early 1865 the Central Pacific had work enough for 4,000 men. However, a contractor named Charles Crocker barely managed to hold onto 800 laborers at any given time. Most of the early railroad workers were Irish immigrants. Because railroad work was hard, and management was chaotic, high attrition rates occurred. Because of prejudice thoughts/beliefs, some Central Pacific officials believed that Irishmen were inclined to spend their wages on liquor, and that the Chinese were also unreliable. Yet, due to the shortage of willing workers, Crocker suggested that reconsideration be given to hiring Chinese.  
        When a group of Irish laborers agitated over wages, Crocker told Strobridge (a foreman) to recruit some Chinese in their place.  Instantly, the Irishmen abandoned their dispute, fearing the competition might make them lose their jobs. Sensing that fear of competition hoping it might motivate the men, Strobridge grudgingly agreed to hire 50 Chinese men as wagon-fillers. The Chinese work ethic impressed him so he hired more Chinese workers for more difficult tasks. Soon, labor recruiters were all over California, and Crocker hired companies to advertise the work in China. Several thousand Chinese men had signed on and the number rose to a high of 12,000 in 1868, comprising at least 80% of the Central Pacific workforce.  The Chinese workers were willing and well-behaved. Crocker and Strobridge made clear to the Irishmen that they could work alongside the Chinese crews or be replaced by them.
         The Chinese teams were organized into groups of 20 under one white foreman. Initially, Chinese employees received wages of $27 and then $30 a month, minus the cost of food and board. In contrast, Irishmen were paid $35 per month with board provided.



Managing workers- Chinese workers left their grading work and went back to their camp. Construction chief James Harvey Strobridge lit into the men, but this produced no effect. The workers demanded $40 a month instead of $35. They requested a reduction in hours. A workday on the open Sierra lasted from dawn till dusk. Chinese laborers wanted to work no more than 10 hours daily. They also asked for shorter shifts in the cramped, dangerous tunnels. Charles Crocker called in leaders of the movement and promised them he'd stop work entirely before considering a single one of their demands. The men took his message back to the camps, but still the workers refused to budge. Two days later, workers struck all along the line, and raised their wage demands to $45 a month