Labor Consensus Between 1870-1900

The period from 1870 to 1900 marked the beginning of modern industrialism. The United States was rapidly developing from an agrarian society to an urban society. Corporations were increasingly becoming much larger, and there were distant labor relations. Furthermore, the federal government did not establish any strict legislation in regards to the development of industry. This freedom allowed many individuals to rise within their classes. Most prominently were the industrialists who gained immense amounts of wealth and power. These men commanded large portions of the workforce, and their corporations were increasingly changing their policies. Although there were cases of labor consensus from 1870-1900, many industrialists exploited their workers …show more content…
While Carnegie may have at times cared about his employees’ rights, he strived to dominate the market. “He manipulated his underlings shamelessly, harping obsessively on their smallest failures and taking credit for their every success.”. He would go to any length to obtain the optimal outcome, and he was not concerned about the consequences. The largest conflict that ruined Andrew Carnegie’s reputation involved the Homestead Strike. He supported Henry C. Frick, who was a manager of Carnegie's Homestead plant in Pennsylvania. When the steel prices plummeted, Frick wanted to decrease the workers’ salaries by fifteen percent to compensate. Additionally, he wanted the Amalgamated Association and Steel Workers to be disbanded. Carnegie later ordered Frick to mass produce armor plates until the union protested. If the union workers were to reject the order, the Homestead plant would be temporarily closed unless they relented. The Homestead workers responded violently by revealing a public sculpture of Frick hanging. Frick proceeded to close other areas of the plant, and he announced he would no longer negotiate with the union. The union had agreed to all his other demand, yet they would not disband. Carnegie believed that the workers would relent because they cared about losing their jobs. The unions and the laborers were furious. Together, they gathered approximately 3,000 people to …show more content…
was a man who placed profits over the well interests of his employees which resulted in a major conflict that led to the bombing at Haymarket Square. In 1884, the McCormick Reaper Works had a ten hour workday. Because the company expenses were steadily increasing and its overall profits were decreasing, McCormick decided to reduce salaries. His workers conducted a strike, and McCormick was unable to defeat them with either strikebreakers or guards. The employees were returned to their old wages. While this was a short-lived consensus, it does not accurately depict the Gilded Age’s overall disposition. McCormick sought to replace the skilled workers with machinery, but the machines later malfunctioned. In February 1886, the United Metal Workers and the Knights of Labor demanded the rehiring of skilled workers, higher wages, and shorter work days. McCormick used a lock out on existing employees and replaced them with scabs—also known as strikebreakers.The replacements soon found out about the situation, and they refused to accept his offer at the company. He was desperate for workers, so he allowed the scabs to work an eight hour day. This compromise created outrage among the previous workers, anarchists, and socialists. One socialist from the Central Labor Union urged a strike with a large mob. The more rational strikers calmed the crowd from charging in unexpectedly. Once the factory’s bell rang, the mob rushed toward the factory’s gates. The strikers

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Labor Consensus Between 1870-1900

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