Abstract
In recent years, the Trent House Museum uncovered the Roebling Records — a detailed account of worker life in Trenton’s largest industrial factory. The thousands of records offer a window into what employment in mid-20th-century New Jersey looked like. This Paper analyzes the Roebling Records, scoping in on worker layoffs, quits, and terminations. It contributes to the underexplored scholarly discussion of mid-20th-century labor markets by locating variables that influence the nature and severity of job volatility. In picking apart the records, this Paper describes the destabilizing effects of job insecurity on the average American worker. Labor conditions in the 1920-50s are of interest to any scholars studying modern labor markets. They offer vital lessons about institutional arrangements, cyclical economic shifts, and labor market behavior. Applying the historical analysis, this Essay ultimately answers a loaded question: Is modern-day America in for yet another round of job volatility?
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