The Brotherhood of Telegraphers, District 45 of the Knights of Labor (organized in New York in 1882) called a strike against the Western Union Telegraph Company on Julu 19, 1883. The issues were straightforward: Union members wanted an end to compulsory work on Sunday; they wanted day shifts reduced to 8 hours and night shifts reduced to 7 hours; they wanted men and women telegraph operators to earn the same rate of pay, and they wanted a 15 percent pay raise. Although the strike disrupted service across the country, it was eventually lost on August 11. Operators who wanted to return to work had to reapply individually and sign an iron clad oath not to join a union. But those that the company deemed troublemakers were blacklisted -- which meant that they would not find work again as telegraphers unless they changed their identity.

In March 1886 the 9,000 members of the Knights of Labor struck Jay Gould's Southwestern railroad system to protest the firing of a fellow KOL member, to demand union recognition, and to gain a wage increase from unskilled workers. Although KOL Grand Master Terence Powderly participated in the negotiations, the strike was defeated on May 3.