Business History

Andrew Carnegie's War with his Workers

September 2, 2026·39 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

In the first of two shows about the fight between the richest man and the unions at his Homestead steel plant - we look at why Andrew Carnegie decided that his workforce deserved a smaller share of his profits and the lengths he went to to cut their wages.     Carnegie grew up in poverty and publicly proclaimed that rich moguls such as he had a duty to aid the poor - but that didn't stop him using every weapon at his disposal to crush the steel workers' union. The fight got violent - very violent - and its ripples are still being felt to this day.   Write to us at businesshistory@pushkin.fmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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