The Jungle

why does jurgis finally decide to join the union? how does the union disappoint the family?

why does jurgis finally decide to join the union? how does the union disappoint the family?

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Jurgis sees that he will never be treated like a human being by the companies. Men do not get paid if they do not work a full hour. At the end of the day, the floor bosses often try and work the men for fifty minutes, just under an hour. This means the men do not get paid for that work. There is great tension between the workers and the floor bosses because of these tactics.   Jurgis now understands the bitterness that the other workers have for the factories. When he is approached again by union representatives, he accepts their offer “in a far different spirit.” In the unions, Jurgis now has “the first inkling of a meaning in the phrase ‘a free country.’” Jurgis. however, finds out that the union has its own politics that have nothing to do with helping workers.