Labor Case

Organized Labor like the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor had no success in improving the position of workers. Workers endured tough conditions on the job, low wages and long working hours. The unions tried using strikes and boycotts to help the problems however, the situation usually ended in disaster, like the Haymarket Square Riot, Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike, and the Great Railroad Strike.

Industrial workers had to endure long hours on the job with low wages, inadequate fire escapes, no heat and owners locked the mills so workers couldn't escape. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire had huge fatalities because of the inadequate fire escapes and the locked doors, it was a death trap. From the years 1875 to 1891, statistics show that an average work hours and wages never had any drastic changes, as shown in Document A.

There was no groundwork to explain and show examples of the success of organized labor, it seemed almost impossible to work during this time. If unions were going to work, striking would have to be effective, they weren't. The National Labor Union was formed to unify workers in fighting for higher wages, and an 8 hour work day. In 1877, railroad workers took part in an enormous strike that resulted in mass violence and very few reforms. Afterwards, the New York Times stated "The strike is apparently hopeless, and must be regarded as nothing more than a rash of and spiteful demonstration of resentment by men too ignorant or too reckless to understand their own interests" (Document B). This writeup acknowledged that this method of fighting was not going to work for the laborers at this time. Years of strikes were breaking out and little was being done in favor of the workers.

In 1892, workers at the Homestead Steel Plant near Pittsburg walked out on strike and mass chaos broke out and took the lives of at least two Pinkerton detectives and one civilian, among many other laborers deaths (Document G). These acts not only failed to gain rights, but since non-strikers were killed, it led to people thinking of laborers in a negative way. After all of these strikers were defeated, it was clear that organized labor was not successful and was not the right way to approach the problem of labor.