Homestead Strike Gets Out of Hand

In 1892 at Andrew Carnegie’s steel mill in Pennsylvania a tragic event of workers against employers and eventually ending with death was the product of the homestead strike. The homestead strike was a strike between the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers and the Carnegie Steel Company.() The Iron and Steel Workers eventually won the strike and agreed on terms with the Steel Company that gave workers the security of a sliding scale. A sliding scale is an indicated tax or wage that varies according to ones living expenses or medical charges along with their income.() It was to be a three year contract and to expire June 30, 1892.() In 1892 the prices for steel products declined and Henry C. Frick, the steel mills general manager, wanted to slash the wages of the workers and to eventually shut down certain parts of the mills from workers. Carnegie agreed with Frick in his plan to do so. Eventually Frick would no longer communicate with the union and only wanted to deal with workers individually. This got out of hand when Frick could no longer deal with all the workers now going on strike and eventually had to turn to the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s Private Army. On June 30, 1892 as the Pinkerton Private Army was arriving the workers attempted to fight back and ended up killing three of the Pinkerton’s but lost seven workers as well.() This is related to American Studies because Carnegie was a man all about providing jobs for workers and being fair but he also supported Henry Frick in slashing the worker’s wages and taking away their jobs.