Homestead+Strike


 * Setting the Scene**

In Homestead Pennsylvania on June, 29 1892 the entire workforce of the Carnegie steel manufacturing plant went on strike. Cut wages and the loss of their union lead the workers to go on strike. To combat the strikers the company hired 300 Pinkerton agents. The strikers and agents battled for 14 hours with the eventual victory of the mill workers and a death toll of 10. To regain control of the steel mill Pennsylvania sent in their state militia.


 * The Problems**

//-Problems for the company­//- Although Carnegie Steel was a huge corporation and the biggest steel operation in the United States it was not immune to the ups and downs of the US economy. In 1890 the price of rolled steel products was $35 a ton and by 1892 that price had declined to $22 a ton. This drop in price spelled trouble for Homestead steel workers. -//Problems for the workers//- Because of the decline in the price of steel, workers faced serious wage cuts. The workers and the union also faced challenges in being able to combat the wage cuts. One of the biggest problems was that there was no need for the skilled laborers who used to carry a lot of weight with both the Union and the owners due to their indispensability. With the new open-hearth steel mills, however, all workers were dispensable. Not only could any worker be easily replaced by scabs (non-union workers), but Carnegie Steel could afford to lose the whole mill’s output for a limited time due to the massive amounts of steel the company’s other mills could produce.

The Homestead Mill where the steel workers went on strike. 


 * Andrew Carnegie and Henry C. Frick**

Henry C. Frick was the president of the Carnegie Steel Company and him and Andrew Carnegie both disliked organized labors ability to set wages and determine working conditions. Frick in particular wanted to end the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (AAISW) participation at the mill. Frick told the AAISW that they would no longer be considered legitimate representation and that he planned not to renew the union’s expiring contract. Carnegie told Frick from his vacation spot in Scotland, “This is your chance to re-organize the whole affair.” Expecting backlash from workers over the breaking up of the union, Frick had a 12 foot high wall constructed around the mill. Despite Frick’s preparations for conflict, he completely misjudged the workers extreme reactions. Frick and Carnegie believed that the workers would give up their union to hold onto their jobs. After the conflict was over Frick told a reporter, “ I can say with the greatest emphasis that under no circumstances will we have any further dealings with the Amalgamated Association as an organization.”

Henry C. Frick was the president of Carnegie steel and cut the wages of Union workers. 


 * The Union**

The AAISW was a craft union that represented the decreasing number of skilled workers at the Homestead Steel mill. The union only had 750 members out of the 3,800 workers at the mill. The union’s contract expired in late June 1892, and Henry Frick made it quite clear that it would not be renewed. Despite the fact that the union represented only 20% of the workers 3,000 decided to rally around the union and vote for a strike. Hugh O’Donnell, one of the strikers for the AAISW. 


 * Strike! **

On June 29, 1892 every worker for the Homestead Carnegie steel manufacturing plant went on strike. Most afraid of losing there jobs the workers took control of the plant. With in a week Frisk attacked the steel plant with Pinkerton’s agents. At the arrival of the plant Pinkerton’s agents were fired upon and surrendered quickly realizing they were extremely outnumbered. However, the workers victory did not last long, the Pennsylvania state militia marched into Homestead and captured the mill. The soldiers remained guarding the mill until non-union workers were brought into the plant.



Pennsylvania State Militia breaking up strikers. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Homestead_strike_burning_barges.jpg

The strikers had the support of the community, local businesses and the mayor John McLuckie. When Frisk counterattacked with 300 armed Pinkerton agents on a barge brought downriver to the Homestead plant, a crowd of 5,000 strikers and town supporters were waiting on the banks of the river. After the attack on the plant by Pinkerton’s agents the local community was outraged at the agents for threatening their lives and their homes. The public ended up beating most of the agents.
 * Public Reaction **

Some of the disgruntled citizens and strikers of Homestead. http://www.americanhistory.abcclio.com/Search/Display.aspx?categoryid=4&entryid=1074651&searchtext=homestead+strike&type=simple&option=all&searchsites=4,5,6,7
 * Impact/Changes **

The Pennsylvania state militia seized the plant from the strikers and guarded the mill for months until non-union workers were brought into the plant. Within months the workers could no longer resist and returned to their jobs. Soon after the Pennsylvania union was vanquished for the next four decades. It did not regain power until the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 when he set in place his New Deal policies.

No steel union would exist in western Pennsylvania for another 40 years. < http://aaisw.org/aaiswfinal.jpg>

[] []// //The Labor Wars// by Sidney Lens **[]**
 * References:**