Urbanization and poverty first increased during the Industrial Revolution because of the masses of people that moved to urban areas and the cities from the rural areas. They were employed as factory workers with no rights and were not paid a living wage at all. They were required to work long hours without many breaks. They were also fired for minor infringements and if they were sick. After a while, the labor unions were formed by the workers themselves. The unions then prevented the exploitation of the workers by the factory managers and owners.