USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -On May 3, striking workers at the McCormick Reaper Works rushed the factory during a shift change and began fighting with non-union “scabs.” Police arrived and leapt into the fray, attacking workers with clubs and firing their revolvers. Within minutes, several strikers were wounded and at least two were killed.

Detailed explanation-2: -When workers went on strike, businesses could easily hire new laborers, known as scabs, to replace the striking workers. Often, the new employees were willing to work for less pay than the laborers whom they were replacing. Violence often erupted between the strikers and the scabs.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Knights of Labor (KOL), at the time the largest and most successful union organization in the country, was blamed for the incident. While the KOL also had sought an eight-hour day and had called several strikes to achieve that goal, its involvement in the riot could not be proved.