Homesteads Strike, Pennsylvania (1892)

Andrew Carnegie, one of the multi-billionaire monopolist of the Gilded Age, came to the country at the age of 13, without a cent in his pocket, from Scotland; however grew to be the president, CEO, and owner of US Steel Company. Where he donated grants of money to "worthy" foundations, such as Carnegie Hall, extensions to the New York Public library and other institutions nationwide; to fulfill his goal of leaving the world with the same way he came. However was not as generous with his workers. Carnegie was a Social Darwinist, supported by his own life, who firmly believed that some people belonged in the bottom and if they tired hard enough they too would become a rag to riches inspiration story.





The Steel Mill in Homestead were separated into types of workers: skilled workers and unskilled workers. Skilled workers included carpenters, blacksmiths and welders, that were traditionally third or fourth generation "Americans" and were apart of a trade union called the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers They gained the right to determine who in there union does what job and when that job needed to get done. Skilled Workers earned a weekly rate of 35 to 75 dollars a week, on a steady 8 hour days. While unskilled workers earned a maximum of 10 dollars a week and worked 12 hour daily. These workers were made up by recent European immigrants, who knew virtually no English and dreamed of the "worker's commonwealth and freedom" that skilled workers obtained. Unskilled workers not only suffered the internal vortex of low wages and economic stance, but they also suffered tremendous death and injury rates due to accidents within the mill; through expositions, electric shocks, falls, crashes and ect. Even though Skilled workers could help with this situation, they didn't.

However in 1982 Carnegie decided to renegotiate the union contract or in other words destroy it and introduce the assembly line to replace skilled workers. Carnegie also wanted to bring in machines into the Homestead Mill that would make production more efficient and economical. With the combination of machines and the assembly line the need for skilled workers was obsolete and wasteful. Now finished good could be completed faster and the same quality for less; due to the now unskilled age workers would be reviving. To help with his plans Carnegie brought Henry Clay Frick. Frick's first order of business was building a 12 foot high fence, three miles long, topped with barbed wire and bored holes for gun emplacements surrounding the entire mill and told workers to take a pay cut or the union would be broken. To which workers responded in the form of a strike, 3,000 workers were on strike on June 30, 1892. To which Frick responded with private army; however the army was retaliated by the worker. After the failed attempt Frick and Carnegie seeked out state militia from the governor of Pennsylvania, strikebreakers outside of Pennsylvania who were unaware with the labor situation and leaned in local officials to have union leaders arrested. Leaving 200 union members behind bars and lead to the strikes downfall. Withing 5 months workers were forced to return to work; where Frick claimed his victory. Wages were cut, hours were increased and the number of employees drastically decreased were the trophy Frick and Carnegie had to show. Yet still not satisfied Frick and Carnegie attempted to control greater portions of worker's life's: houses rented or bought and marriage; in order to create the increased pressure of family than the individual worker would ever have.