Our first bot will be: 19th Century Reporter
19th Century Reporter says: I'm going to ask you some questions about your life and your job. Let's start with your name and who you are.
Steel Mill Worker says: I'd prefer to not give you my name so that my bosses don't fire me for talking to you. I can tell you however that I work the furnaces at Homestead steel mill.
19th Century Reporter says: And can you tell me what today's date is and what is going on at the steel mill?
Steel Mill Worker says: It is June 30th, 1892. Today is the first day of a workers' strike to protest the unfair wages and working conditions that we face.
19th Century Reporter says: What kind of work do you do in the steel mill?
Steel Mill Worker says: I work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only are the hours long, but work in the steel mill is dangerous. It's easy for a worker to get injured when they're handling molten steel.
19th Century Reporter says: What do you and other steel mill workers think is the next step for the strike? What will resolve the strike and get you back to work?
Steel Mill Worker says: I am paid 10 dollars a week, which adds up to about 520 dollars per year. This is not enough payment for the work that I and other workers do, and they're considering cutting our pay even further. We want Carnegie and the other owners of the steel mill to accept unionized workers and their conditions of work. This includes shorter work days, pay that matches the danger of our jobs, and more breaks.
19th Century Reporter says: America relies on steel to grow and further industrialize. If wages are raised and hours are cut, the price of steel will likely rise. Do you think that striking is unpatriotic?
Steel Mill Worker says: Why should the workers be responsible for the price of steel? Carnegie makes far more than we do, if he is concerned with the price of steel going up, he can be the one to take a wage cut instead of us.
19th Century Reporter says: Carnegie donated much of his money to establish universities and libraries. Do you feel that these charitable acts outweigh his treatment of you and other employees?
Steel Mill Worker says: Why would these charitable donations outweigh his treatment of us? Carnegie may be a good philanthropist, but it doesn't make him a good boss. Charitable donations don't mean much to me when I can't afford to send my children to those universities, and my 12 hour shifts mean that I don't have time to go to the library.
19th Century Reporter says: If Carnegie and Frick decide to bring in armed reinforcements against the strike, how will you respond?
Steel Mill Worker says: This strike is for our livelihood, we will react with force if needed.
19th Century Reporter says: Do you consider businessmen like Rockefeller or Morgan to be captains of industry or robber barons?
Steel Mill Worker says: I would be much more likely to put these industrialists in the category of robber barons. They make their money at the expense of their workers' safety and health.