I have found an article that goes into some detail about several notable events in United States Labor Union history. This article completely takes the gloss off of the typical cookie cutter story that is told about the Haymarket Riot, The Homestead Strike and The Pullman Strike.
Read this article and it totally shows that these events were not about starving, noble workers but about what were upper middle class workers of their time that demanded more pay by use of violence:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj10n1/cj10n1-10.pdf
This article leaves out that The Pullman Strike had a racial overtone to keep African Americans out of the market.
I've also heard that unions were some of the leading voices for the child labor ban so they would have less competition.
Periodically the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.
Thomas Jefferson
Same with minimum wage laws of any sort in order to keep out the minorities "unskilled".
Deist: I have found an article that goes into some detail about several notable events in United States Labor Union history. This article completely takes the gloss off of the typical cookie cutter story that is told about the Haymarket Riot, The Homestead Strike and The Pullman Strike. Read this article and it totally shows that these events were not about starving, noble workers but about what were upper middle class workers of their time that demanded more pay by use of violence: http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj10n1/cj10n1-10.pdf This article leaves out that The Pullman Strike had a racial overtone to keep African Americans out of the market.
Thank you for the link. That was a very good read!