Labor Unions were needed because laborers worked 10 hour days with 6-7 days a week, paid barely enough to live on, no vacation time, no compensation for getting hurt on the job, and no retirement funds. Children were being deprived of their learning because they had to get full time jobs to help their families.

Factories often were dirty, poorly ventilated, and poorly lit; workers had to perform repetitive, mind dulling tasks hour after hour, often with dangerous or faulty equipment. Living Conditions weren't any better either, most lived in the same room packed full of people. They got diseases because they had to dump their bathroom remnants out the window from their pot.

Knights of Labor: The Knights of Labor included everybody who worked for money and was started by Uriah Stephens. They agreed with the National Labor Union (NLU), on higher wages and shorter hours. But also had some ideas of their own such as, limits on immigration, child labor restrictions and government ownership of railroads.

American Federation of Labor: The A. F. of L. lead by Samuel Gompers, represented small craft unions uniting together, every member was a skilled worker. Their purpose was to organize skilled workers into national unions based on same trade, and aimed for shorter hours, higher wages, and better working conditions.

Pullman Strike: When workers refuse pay cut, the Pullman Car Company fired 5,000 workers. And the American Railway Union refrained from using Pullman cars. The strike was then declared illegal by court injunction and President Cleveland ordered federal troops to end the strikers. Order was then restored and the strike had failed.

Eugene V. Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1855. And his family were french alsatian immigrants. In 1892 he formed the American Railway union. Which later led the biggest strike ever. He was then arrested for 6 months, after he got out he ran for president as a socialist in 1900.

American Railway Union: Was dedicated to uniting all railroad workers "into one, compact working force for legislative as well as industrial action" (Salvatore, Eugene V. Debs, p. 115). Which led to the biggest strike in history, The Pullman Strike.

Samuel Gompers: He was a capitalist and matra of labor leader. Born in London in 1850, his family were Jewish cigar makers. At the age of 27 he became the head of the local cigar makers.