This excerpt is from testimony given by an anonymous worker….

This excerpt is from testimony given by an anonymous worker.I work harder now than when my pay was twice as large. Less than five years ago wages were from $12 to $18 a week currency; now they are from $6 to $12, and work not as steady… During working hours the men are not allowed to speak to each other, though working close together, on pain of instant discharge. Men are hired to watch and patrol to shop.-Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 1879In the late 1800s, which action taken by American workers was MOST successful in addressing the problems described in this excerpt?