This document summarizes the struggles of industrial workers and organized labor in the late 19th century United States. It describes how immigrant workers faced difficult working conditions with long hours, little pay, and few protections. Early labor unions like the Knights of Labor had some membership success but lacked power against employers. Major strikes like the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and the Homestead Strike of 1892 illustrated the tensions between workers and managers, and showed that the government typically intervened to support businesses over laborers. Unions remained relatively weak during this time period.