 The Lowell female textile workers continued to petition the Massachusetts Legislature and legislative committee hearings became an annual event . Although the initial push for a ten @-@ hour workday was unsuccessful , the LFLRA continued to grow , affiliating with the New England Workingmen 's Association and publishing articles in that organization 's Voice of Industry , a pro @-@ labor newspaper . This direct pressure forced the Board of Directors of Lowell 's textile mills to reduce the workday by 30 minutes in 1847 . The FLRA 's organizing efforts spilled over into other nearby towns . In 1847 , New Hampshire became the first state to pass a law for a ten @-@ hour workday , although there was no enforcement and workers were often requested to work longer days . By 1848 , the LFLRA dissolved as a labor reform organization . Lowell textile workers continued to petition and pressure for improved working conditions , and in 1853 , the Lowell corporations reduced the workday to eleven hours . 
