Such problems included the harsh and dangerous conditions they had to endure while working as well as the long hours they were required to work for little pay. This soon led to the emerging of unions to help fight back against these conditions. At first unions received public hostility and this especially so during the recession of the 1870s. This was because when incidents between the workers and employers turned violent, which happened in most cases, the public automatically turned towards the workers as the source of the problem instead of the employers. Although this was the case unions still played an important role for laborers and still caused some changes in the work force that would benefit the workers. Such unions would fight for higher wages and less hours for most workers and would sometimes go on strike if necessary. A prime example of this was the railroad strike of 1877 where employers were calling for a 10 percent wage cut. Although this turned into a deadly conflict it showed why unions were needed in America to ensure the fair treatments of workers by their
Such problems included the harsh and dangerous conditions they had to endure while working as well as the long hours they were required to work for little pay. This soon led to the emerging of unions to help fight back against these conditions. At first unions received public hostility and this especially so during the recession of the 1870s. This was because when incidents between the workers and employers turned violent, which happened in most cases, the public automatically turned towards the workers as the source of the problem instead of the employers. Although this was the case unions still played an important role for laborers and still caused some changes in the work force that would benefit the workers. Such unions would fight for higher wages and less hours for most workers and would sometimes go on strike if necessary. A prime example of this was the railroad strike of 1877 where employers were calling for a 10 percent wage cut. Although this turned into a deadly conflict it showed why unions were needed in America to ensure the fair treatments of workers by their