The Homestead Strike
On June 22, 1892 the association of iron and steel workers went on a strike against the Carnegie steel company, which resulted in deaths of workers.
This strike took place at Carnegie’s steel mill in Homestead, Pennsylvania. Henry C. Frick the general manager only likes union workers, and locked the nonunion workers out. Frick used a five foot tall fence, and lots of barbed wire to lock all of the non-union workers out.
All of the non-union workers went on strike at Carnegie’s steel mill. This strike didn’t do anything, and strike breakers had to come. The strikebreakers had to result in violence to break it up. This strike was meant to get higher wages for lower hours, but it did just the opposite with some dead, wounded, and many fired. This is a huge downfall for all strikers.
Most of the strikers were fired and replaced with non-union workers. Workers are outraged with this big move on Carnegie’s part. Carnegie replaced most of them with non-union workers, because they would accept lower pay for longer hours. This strike backfired, and took a large step back for all strikers.
Non-union workers now accept low pay, and long hours. That makes it so union people now need to accept low pay, and long hours to have a job, because of the immigrants. Captains of industry such as Carnegie, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller agree to long hours, and low pay to earn the most possible profit. All the union workers have little strikes, but this Homestead Strike was witty, and failed with lower pay and longer hours.
-Ellie V.