Organized labor, during the period from 1875 to 1900, was not as
successful in improving the position of workers as one was hoping it
would be. There are many results that arose from these organized
labor attempts that prove how unsuccessful they actually were. These
results include the collapse of many labor unions such as, NLU,
Knights of Labor, and ARU, the failure of many strikes such as, the
Great Railroad Strike, the Haymarket Riot, and the Pullman Strike,
and the techniques used by management to defeat labor.
The National Labor Union, otherwise known as NLU, was
organized following the time of the Civil War. This labor union was
created by William Sylvis. The NLU had a couple of main goals. One
goal was to return to the ways of early America; the time when
workers controlled the average workday and could actually make a
decent living and not have to work their heart and soul out for
pennies a day. They demanded eight hour work days, on average,
"eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we
will". They wanted equal opportunities for craft workers, skilled and
unskilled workers, and even reformers. The only exclusions were
those involved with banks, defending (lawyers), and the disbursement
of liquor. At their height, more than 600,000 people were involved
with this union, making it the first largest national union. By the
early 1870's, the NLU had created their own political party, a third
party. But, to much disappointment, in the elections of 1872, they
lost, heavily. With the Panic of 1872 and the Depression in the
mid-1870's, the NLU collapsed. The Knights of Labor was established
in 1871 by Uriah Stephens, a Protestant. Many were drawn to this
organization. These Knights were led by Terence V. Powderly and was
open to any variety of the working class. In 1878, they fought for
equal pay for women and even le...