Homestead Lockout and Strike Essay - 772 Words

Homestead Lockout and Strike On the night of July 6, 1892, an event would take place that would change American history forever. Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick were planning something that no one would ever expect. The Amalgamated Association (The AA) attempted to renew their contract, but because the majority of the employees were non-union they decided to go with the majority and make it non-union. Carnegie did not want to be directly involved with the break of the unions, so he brought in Frick to be in charge of the plant. His plans were to lockout the workers and bring in workers who would do what he wanted them to do with increased hours and less pay. Frick built a fifteen foot barbed wire fence around the plant to keep†¦show more content†¦They were not willing to make any concessions. They wanted them to continue with the long hours as mandated by them. If the workers didn’t agree to these terms they would be fired. Employers knew that people needed jobs and were not concerned abo ut filling vacant positions. In today’s age, if you’re working that many hours we believe that we should get paid for what we worked. They felt they same way, but because of the union they didn’t receive those rights. Some consequences of the strike were longer workdays. Days went from eight hour shifts to twelve hour shifts, six days a week. Wages were cut; all employees were working with a mandatory increase of hours and not making what they should have been making. People were not able to provide for their families. Conditions would continue this way until the steel industry unionized, but that would not be for about another forty-four years later. Because of the way the economy is today, unfortunately history seems to be repeating itself. There seems to be a big push to get the unions out of the work force again. Businesses cannot afford the hirer wages, benefits and security that unions afford. Businesses are being forced to downsize resulting in the layof f of workers. Cutting medical benefits and hiring more employees but only for part time positions, to keep costs down. Employees areShow MoreRelatedLabor Relations Essay968 Words   |  4 Pagesfavorable working conditions (Holley, Jennings, Wolters, 2009). The AFL also divided membership up by trade, recognizing that different skilled trades had individualized needs (Holley, Jennings, Wolters, 2009). The Haymarket Riot, Homestead Incident, and the Pullman Strike all played a role in the rise and decline of the AFL. The first event, the Haymarket Riot, was a delightful success for the newly created AFL under Samuel Gompers (Holley, Jennings, Wolters, 2009). The Haymarket Riot soughtRead MoreAnalysis Of The History And Legacy Of Homestead1593 Words   |  7 PagesCarnegie County: An Analysis of the History and Legacy of Homestead At the culmination of the nineteenth century in the United States, industrialization was transforming cities at a lightning pace. With a flurry of immigration and expansion, urban populations were multiplying by the decade, at a rate twice the speed of the total American population. In 1860, the city of Chicago had a mere 100,000 residents but by 1890 had exploded to harbor over one million people. Immigration from southern and easternRead MoreBiography of Allan Pinkerton1179 Words   |  5 Pages1884. Shortly after the Pittsburgh bloodbath of the Homestead Strike made the Pinkerton agency seem little better than thugs: Wolff (1965) makes it clear that the aggressive policies pursued by the Pinkertons during the Homestead strike increased the resolve of the workers, making the tragedy a foreordained conclusion: The strikers, however, considered it possible that the Pinkertons would try another invasion. Again rumor after rumor swept Homestead and the system of armed patrols ¦ (134 ). This resultedRead MoreAndrew Carnegie s The Fittest1416 Words   |  6 Pagesbetter pay(Carnegie 243). When these terms were not met a strike would soon be imminent. One of Carnegie’s advisors, Henry Clay Frick, was in main control of the company when Carnegie was abroad. Workers began to leave their positions at work in protest of the conditions. This was known as the Homestead strike, the Homestead strike began as a basic strike from the union to the company but eventually escalated into a full out industrial lockout. Frick had took the initiative to hire private securityRead MoreThe Ensuing Conflict Of Labor Vs. Capital1627 Words   |  7 Pageshand and dissolved the workers’ ambitions by hiring scabs, creating a strong relationship with the military (Pullman strike), controlling and fixing policies at work, hiring immigrants for cheap labor, etc. Throughout the late 1800s, the corporate leaders have been able to successfully prevent workers who had resorted to: forming unions, protests (ex. Pullman strike and Homestead strike), violence (ex. Haymarket Sq. Riot), etc., from achieving a radical solution to the workers issues wit h the managementRead MoreDefeats at the Workplace, in the Media, and Within the New Corporate Order: The Homestead Strike, a Lost Cause for American Labor2609 Words   |  11 Pagessurvival proved central to the 1892 Homestead Strike, one of the bloodiest labor confrontations to date. Ultimately, despite workers’ efforts, the strike brought about the destruction of the AAIS by the Carnegie Corporation, as its outcome revealed the vulnerabilities of union organization against corporate power during the Gilded Age. Thus, due to the AAIS’ capitulation to a combination of internal and external threats to its legitimacy and authority, the Homestead Strike ultimately failed to produce enduringRead MoreOrganized Labor Movement1048 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent ideas of the best way to reach that point; for example, the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor had nearly opposite stances. Under Terence V. Powderly, the Knights of Labor sought to reform by mea ns of negotiating rather than strikes, not to say that some branches of this loosely organized group did not resort to such measure; but the AF of L, with Samuel Gompers as their leader, believed that without some occasional strong action that no change would be made and that all benefitsRead MoreImpact Of The Steel Industry On The Economy1027 Words   |  5 Pagesproduction which helped the economy and the country itself. In addition, Carnegie sold his business to J.P. Morgan, for $500 million, which made him one the wealthiest individuals in America in 1901. The political impact that Carnegie had was the Homestead strike in Pennsylvania, 1892. The battle was between Carnegie Steel Company and, the strongest trade union, which was Amalgamated Association of Steel Works and Iron. Carnegie and Henry Frick, the manager of the company was determined to break the unionRead MoreThe History and Violence in American Labor Unions2963 Words   |  12 Pages6/6/2010 | Some of the more important events in labor union history included how unions were stereotyped as violent anarchist, and how they took a stance that invoked violent activity in three serious events; the Haymarket Riot, Homestead Incident and Pullman Strike and how these events in ways changed American labor union history. | Up through the late 1700’s to early 1800’s, men, women, and even children were subject to intolerable working conditions, low wages, and long hours. As the industrialRead MoreThe Decline Of The Industrial Revolution1554 Words   |  7 Pagesthe production of food and goods. Even though America was experiencing rapid economic growth, it negatively affected on majority of workers and farmers. Workers’ response to challenges of economic growth was much stronger because of their organized strikes and unions than that of farmers. In the late nineteenth Century, the industrial revolution distributed its benefits unevenly. The problem was that rapid technological growth kept the wages of workers low. A worker’s economic independence rested on