To what extent did improvements in the economy during the gilded age benefit workers and unions?

The Gilded Age was the period in the US history from c.1870 to 1890 which saw rapid economic growth and an increase in industries such as railways, mining, iron and steels and the financial sector.The Gilded Age’s industrialisation saw the crafting and development of workers unions nation-wide, who sought to gain labour rights and better conditions. The most significant of these unions include the Knights of Labour (KOL) and the American Federation of Labour (AFL). By 1886, KOL reached a membership of 700,000, while having only 20,000 in 1881. This increase suggests the successful strike action carried out by the union had a crucial and positive impact on its growth. However, its reputation fell after the violence of the Haymarket Affair, and membership declined to just 100,000 by the end of the period in 1890. Furthermore, the arrival of African Americans and immigrants into the workforce saw a division within the workforce, as opposed to unity. Existing unions in this period saw the introduction of minorities into the workforce as a challenge and refused membership into the unions, which further limited the growth of unions and thus their ability to exert pressure onto employers and implement positive change for workers. This division in the workforce made it easier for employers to exploit workers and so limiting the progress of unions in achieving progress. Thus, improvements in the economy, with the new arrivals into the workforce, only caused division and decline in membership to unions, and so ultimately did not benefit workers and unions.In conclusion, while the Gilded Age saw improvements in representation of groups such as African Americans, women and immigrants, these improvements tended not to be solely due to the improvements in the economy, but other factors such as the acceptance of lower wages. Furthermore, workers and unions struggled to make progress in obtaining workers’ rights and membership to unions, accompanied by growing divisions within the workforce.