Question

Unions had two big problems in the 1800s, government hostility and elitism. The government sided with employers in nearly every labor dispute.

Answer 1

Unions had two big problems in the 1800s, government hostility and elitism. The government sided with employers in nearly every labor dispute and brought all the powers of the state to bear in order to make sure their desired side one -- injunctions, police intimidation, and military violence. As for elitism, most unions refused to organize women, blacks, immigrants, or the unskilled, leaving their base of potential converts limited.