Tactics adopted by employers sometimes bore heavy responsibility for bloodshed.
Employers used non-union labour to break strikes to replace those employees striking, this provoked trade unionists as they saw it as ‘backlegs’ driving them out of their livelihoods.
Strikes were often also an opportunity for business owners to break the power of the union without adhering to their demands. Striking gave employers the power to replace workers with immigrants that would be happy with lower wages.
The use of ‘Yellow Dog’ contracts also caused resentment and lead to labour disputes, as they forced employees to sign a declaration that they would not join a union if they wanted to stay employed.
Private security forces such as the Pinkerton Detectives were also significant in stirring resentment. Allowing employers to violently stop strikes without being directly at fault.