There is no doubt, hours of work were long.  Nine-hour days were probably as short as could be found, and fourteen-hour days were common.  But this is not as open-and-shut as it seems.

Factory hours were usually extended when there was a rush order to fill - a practice that continues even in this modern age.  Double shifts were even known to occur, with overtime being paid.

Of course, virtually all workers commonly complained that they did not get as much money as they would have liked, and they complained when they had to work long hours. 

That much has not changed either from that day to this, in spite of legislated eight-hour workdays, with 30 minutes to an hour devoted to lunch, and scheduled breaks every hour!

Hours were generally longer in the summer than in the winter, due to the lack of artificial interior lighting that required most production to be carried out during daylight hours.

Then in the winter with the hours of work reduced to a five-or-six-hour day, one finds the workers complaining because their pay was correspondingly reduced.

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