Why weren't labor unions successful during the Guilded Age?

Answer 1

Three notable labor unions were formed: the National Labor Union, Knights of Labor, and American Federation of Labor. The first two failed due to different reasons, while the AFL succeeded. The AFL sought to protect all skilled workers and wanted a fair share of labor. They didn't push for extreme reforms only shorter hours, increased conditions, and wages. Even after the panic of 1893 they continued to grow (500,000 members).

Answer 2

Unions of the late nineteenth century were weak, and saw little success. Many business owners reacted negatively to strikes, often calling in professional scabs or strike busters to beat up and intimidate striking workers. The Haymarket bombing was another hard blow to labor unions in the late nineteenth century. The police had been sent in to disperse a group of striking workers, someone threw a bomb, and several police officers were killed. Although no one knew who threw the bomb, the unions were blamed. This caused a loss of a million union members.

Answer 3

workers didnt have the money to join these unions. During stikes the workers wouldnt get paid and the union also asks for money to join. Unions like the IWW were radical and their violent nature often scared off many workers. Also yellow dog contracts which prohibited workers in certain factories to join unions. Pinkertons, federal injunctions or lack of value for workers, gave the managers the upper hand and unions rarely accomplished goals of better conditions or longer hours.

Answer 4

1. The federal government usually sided with the factory owners when it came to strikes, and several Presidents even sent in troops to end these strikes. Courts ruled against strikers, too. In 1894, the Chicago court dealt a serious blow to unions. A year earlier, George Pullman had cut the pay of workers at his railroad car factory, but did not reduce the rents he charged them for company-owned houses. Workers walked off the job in protest. A federal judge issued an injunction, or court order to do or not to do something, against the strikers. Leaders of the strike were jailed for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. This act had been meant to keep trusts from limiting free trade. The courts, however, said that the strikers were limiting free trade. This decision was a major setback for unions.

Answer 5

The companies used fear and threats to keep the workers in line. They were afraid to loose their jobs and if there were problems no law would protect them. The men of industry had total control of the government and money.