The Struggle of Organized Labor: Industrial Warfare: Scab, Lockout, Blacklist, Yellow-dog contract, Injunction (WXT, SOC) (apr 4, 1870 – apr 4, 1930)

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In this battle between the laborers and management known as Industrial warfare, both sides utilized a plethora of strategies against each other. In order to gain the recognition from the industry of unions, laborers often looked to strikes, boycotts, and slowdowns to gain their recognition. In order to combat Union actions, business owners hired a manager or management team to keep the laborers in check. Managers would often be able to subside strikers by bringing in strikebreakers or scabs which are unemployed individuals who are desperate for a job. However, when things get out of hand, managers usually have to use a different strategy to subside strikes and other Union efforts. Management enforces precautionary measures like the lockout, which is a precautionary measure that closes the factory before strikers could get to it, and the yellow-dog contracts, which forces employees to sign a contract where they have to agree not to join a union in order to be hired for the job in the factory. When Union forces or efforts were present in the factory, management enforces the blacklist which keeps a watchful eye on pro-union workers in the factory, they call for private guards and state militia to put down strikes, and attain court injunction that forced strikers to cease their actions. In order to gain support from the people against Unions, many businesses spread the idea to the public that the Unions in America supported anarchy and were unAmerican. It was truly all out warfare, as tensions grew violence erupted against management in factories.

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