The first and bloodiest of a series of industrial strikes in the 1890s, the Homestead Strike took place at the Carnegie Steel Company plant in Homestead, Pa., in 1892. It was precipitated when company manager Henry Clay Frick sought to impose a wage cut. When the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers refused his terms and called a strike on June 29, Frick brought in about 300 Pinkerton detectives to run the plant. On July 6 an armed clash occurred between workers and detectives, in which several were killed, soon afterward, the state militia was sent in. Under the soldiers' protection, nonunion laborers manned the steel mills from July 12 to November 20, when the strike collapsed. Frick's success gravely weakened unionism in the steel industry, which was not unionized successfully until the 1930s.
Krause, P. The Battle for Homestead, 1880-1892 (1992).
Describe at least one cause and one effect of the Homestead Strike:
One cause of the Homestead Strike was the company manager, Henry Clay Frick, attempting to impose a wage cut on the workers. This action by Frick led to the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers refusing his terms and calling for a strike.
One effect of the Homestead strike was the armed clash between the workers and the Pinkerton detectives brought in by Frick. This clash resulted in several deaths and heightened tensions between the company and the workers. Another effect was the intervention of the state militia, who protected nonunion laborers and allowed them to continue working in the steel mills. This ultimately led to the collapse of the strike and weakened unionism in the steel industry.
One cause of the Homestead Strike was the attempt by Henry Clay Frick, the manager of Carnegie Steel Company, to impose a wage cut on the workers. This decision was met with resistance from the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers, who saw it as a threat to their livelihoods and worker's rights.
One effect of the Homestead Strike was the armed clash between workers and Pinkerton detectives that took place on July 6, resulting in several deaths. This violent confrontation further escalated tensions between the strikers and the company, and eventually led to the intervention of the state militia. The presence of the militia allowed nonunion laborers to take over the steel mills, effectively ending the strike and weakening the union's position in the steel industry. This event marked a setback for unionism in the industry until it was successfully organized in the 1930s.