- During this period, labor unions and strikes faced significant legal barriers. Employers often obtained court injunctions to prevent strikes, citing potential harm to their businesses or public welfare. These injunctions prohibited workers from organizing, picketing, or striking, severely limiting their ability to exercise collective action.
2. Company Tactics
- Employers commonly used various tactics to undermine strikes and weaken unions. These tactics included:
- Blacklisting: Employers maintained lists of union members or strike participants and shared them with other companies, effectively barring them from future employment.
- Yellow dog contracts: Workers were forced to sign agreements pledging not to join unions or participate in strikes as a condition of employment.
- Lockouts: Employers temporarily shut down operations to pressure workers into accepting unfavorable terms or abandoning their strike.
- Hiring replacement workers (scabs): Companies brought in non-union workers to replace striking employees, breaking the unity and effectiveness of the strike.
3. Limited Organizational Power of Unions
- Labor unions were still in their formative stages and lacked the widespread membership and resources necessary to sustain prolonged strikes effectively. Many industries remained unorganized, making it difficult for workers to present a united front against powerful employers.
4. Absence of Federal Labor Protections
- Comprehensive federal legislation保障 the rights of workers and unions did not exist during this time. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was sometimes used against unions, viewing strikes as a restraint of trade. It took several decades before Congress passed laws like the Clayton Act and the National Labor Relations Act to protect workers' rights and level the playing field for labor unions.
5. Public Perception
- Public opinion often favored employers and viewed strikes as disruptive to economic growth and social stability. Newspapers and media outlets frequently portrayed labor unions and strikes in a negative light, influencing public sentiment and making it harder for workers to gain public support.
6. Strikebreaking and Violence
- Employers sometimes hired professional strikebreakers or used law enforcement to suppress strikes. These strikebreakers often engaged in violence and intimidation against striking workers, deterring them from continuing their actions.