The country's first union, formed in 1794, ended in disaster. Philadelphia shoemakers, then called cordwainers, were earning barely enough to feed their families, so they went on strike demanding higher wages.
The state government responded by indicting the union, alleging criminal conspiracy, and bankrupting it. Though the trial wasn't documented -- historians have only shorthand notes from a young printer -- most reports say union members had to pay a fine ($8 each) and pick up the cost of the trial, both of which were devastating blows to the workers.
The experience scared Americans away from unionizing for decades, historians say.
http://us.cnn.com/2011/US/03/04/unions.history/index.html?hpt=Sbin
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