Why unions had little success during the period 1871-1900 in improving the economic and social position of U.S. workers

From 1871- 1900, unions had little success. Unions in that time only organized a small group of workers. Not everyone wanted to be in a union, because unions did not always have a good reputation. Unions either accepted everyone, including immigrants-who people did not want to associated with- or they accepted only skilled white males, leaving out a good portion of the work force. The Unions that were in around at that time did not always agree on their goals. Some Unions, like the Knights of Labor, had very lofty goals. They wanted to make "every man his own master- every man his employer". The American Federation of Labor, on the other hand, had more specific, short term goals. They wanted higher wages and shorter work days. If the Union's had had the same goals, they could have worked together to achieve them. The big businesses had all of the power and money, and the Unions had no way to influence them or anyone that was afflicted with them. This "affliction" included the government, who only cared about the revenue form the businesses and not the workers. Unions also had a public relations problem. The strikes that usually happened because of the unions often resulted in violence, which made the people think that the Unions were radical. Also, many Unions were associated with anarchy and socialism, which instilled fear in many Americans. US workers were looked down upon by many people in the upper society. Some wealthy Americans thought along the lines of Social Darwinism, thinking that they were the upper class for a reason, and that they should stay in the upper class and the lower class should stay in the lower class, and not help them up the ladder. Workers had no say in any part of their job. They didn't get to argue for higher wages, less work hours, or safety on the job. From 1871 to 1900, Union had little success and workers were looked down upon.