The movement in organized labor from 1875 to 1900 to improve the position of workers
was unsuccessful because of the inherent weaknesses of unions and the failures of their
strikes, the negative public attitudes toward organized labor, widespread government
corruption, and the tendency of government to side with big business. After the Civil there
was a push to industrialize quickly, and the rushed industrialization was at the expense of
the workers as it led to bigger profits for big business and atrocious working conditions for
them; conditions that included long working hours, extremely low wages, and the
exploitation of children and immigrants.
In an effort to organize themselves to better their situation, laborers created unions that
ultimately proved to be largely ineffective. Among the first to be organized was the
Knights of Labor, which was open to all workers, even women. The Knights were poorly
organized and lacked a central direction, so it was unsurprising when it declined and then,
after a failed strike against Gould railroad, disappeared altogether. The American
Federation of Labor (AFL) appeared even before the Knights began to decline and became
the most important and enduring labor group in the country. It differed from the Knights in
that it rejected the idea of one big union for everyone and embraced instead the idea of an
association of essentially autonomous craft unions. It also differed in that it represented
mainly skilled workers and was generally hostile to the idea of women entering the work
force. The AFL supported the immediate objectives of most workers: better wages, hours,
and working conditions. It hoped to attain its goals by collective bargaining, but was
willing to use strikes if necessary. This willingness to strike resulted in the AFL being
associated with radicalism and anarchism, an association that turned public sentiment
against it, and doomed the organization to be widely ineffectual. Militant labor
organizations like the “Molly Maguires,” helped feed the belief that unions were dangerous
and better left unformed.
The tactic of striking was an important technique that unions used to pressure companies
into giving in to their demands. Unfortunately, strikes often turned the public against
wanting to improve the position of workers. The Railroad Strike of 1877, Americas first
major labor conflict, was one such strike. It began when the eastern railroads announced a
ten percent wage cut and workers responded by going on strike. The enraged strikers
disrupted rail service from Baltimore to St. Louis, destroyed equipment, and rioted in city
