The struggle for a shorter workday has been a central theme throughout American labor history. A century and a half ago, female textile workers in New England struggled to cut their days to ten hours. They petitioned their employers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, often with the support of their male co-workers and relatives. But employers resisted, claiming they wanted to reduce hours, but they feared that their competitors, other textile manufacturers in Connecticut and New Hampshire, wouldn't follow suit and would drive them out of business by making more profits. Then, they argued, their workers would have to move and would end up working longer hours anyway.