People v. Lochner Workers Rights

1. People v. LochnerWorkers Rights Georgios Bouroudis

2. The Begining • December 21,1899- Complaint filed by People of NYS against Joseph Lochner for breaking Art. 8 Sect 110, ch 415 of Laws of 1897( The Labor Laws ) • This was his second offense to the law. • Defendant was stated to have specifically broken sections 110 of the Labor laws which reads:

3. Section 110 "No employee shall be required or permitted to work in a biscuit, bread or cake bakery or confectionery establishment more than sixty hours in any one week or more than ten hours in any one day, unless for the purpose of making a shorter work day on the last day of the week; nor more hours in any one week than will make an average of ten hours per day for the number of days during such week in which such employee shall work," is a valid exercise of the police power of the State and is constitutional.

4. Outcome • Joseph Lochner was found guilty for making his workers work longer then 60 hour work weeks and sometimes more then 10 hours per day. • In his own defense in the hearing he stated that his 14th amendment rights were being parted on due to the fact that by law he and his employee only agree on the service being provided, the pay for that service, and also the hours that the job entails. • The courts found that due to the Labor Laws and for the health of all workers in bakeries that the law stands and the defendant is to pay a fine of $50.

5. Appeal to the Decision • Upon the verdict of the lower court Lochner appealed the case in the NYS Court of Appeals. • In this case he and his counsel pleaded the case that his 14th amendment rights were being imparted on and that is illegal and against the constitution.

6. Outcome The Court of Apeals verdict was that since the Constitution is a living document and that since it was written that times and situations of work do change that the recent rulings across the U.S. that do impart on the 14th amendment are correct due to the fact that in the time of its creation the U.S.’s main job interest was agriculture. Since then times have changed in that many new jobs have rose and new situations about the health conditions for workers do come into play now more then ever. In a bakery the hours of work are extremely different then most normal jobs. Most of the goods that are being baked does occur in the night hours and the early morning hours thus the hours of work are very long. Therefore it is necessary that a worker who is working in the midst of Flour and Meal each day get a good night rest and then return to work. This is the reason for the maximum ten hour days to prevent the workers from acquiring diseases while working in these condtions daily.

7. Outcome • The Court of Appeals upheld the lower courts decision stating that the Labor Laws were in fact constituational and did not breach any constitutional rights. • After this verdict Lochner took the case to the Supreme Court and fought it there using the same material that he used in all 3 cases prior.

8. Supreme Court • The decision of the Courts was that even though the14th amendment was being imparted upon, that the states did have police power to bring health to the bakery workers in the community and that it was not illegal for these “health laws” to be enforced.

9. In the End • We see that even though the 14th amendment was being imparted on that the states did have right to do so under the idea that the constitution is a living document and that the laws of a community do have precedence over the constitutional law. • Around this time many other Labor Laws were also being put into effect ex. Miners- no more then 8 hour work days due to the numerous amounts of diseases that could form. • Lochner lost and the people won. ‘