Final answer:
In the early 20th century, labor unions opposed immigration due to increased job competition with immigrants willing to work for lower wages, linguistic and cultural barriers to organization, ideological beliefs in American Exceptionalism that favored individualism over collectivism, and exclusionary practices that limited unity in the labor movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the early 20th century, most labor unions opposed immigration for several reasons. First, the massive influx of immigrants, mainly from Europe, introduced a workforce willing to accept lower wages and poorer working conditions, which threatened the jobs and wage levels of native workers. Second, the language and cultural barriers made it difficult to unify and organize these diverse groups into unions. This was partly because many immigrants came from traditions of self-reliance, particularly those who had been farmers in their home countries, and were not accustomed to collective bargaining or the concept of organized labor.
Furthermore, during this period, there was a strong belief in American Exceptionalism and the idea that people could rise from laborer to owner through individual effort and enterprise, making the collective approach of unions less appealing. This ideology was especially potent in the American context where many workers saw themselves as future entrepreneurs rather than permanent members of a working class. Additionally, the decline of unskilled labor needs and the introduction of racist exclusion policies caused further divisions, as unions often excluded African Americans and other minority groups—further limiting the unifying potential of labor movements. Lastly, nativist sentiments and fears of competition in job markets led to more opposition to immigrants, as in the case of the Asiatic Exclusion League opposing Asian immigration in the West.
Employers also actively worked against unionization, using tools such as open shops and yellow-dog contracts to weaken the influence of unions. With the rise of industrialization, the nature of work and the workforce was changing, and despite the growth of unions like the AFL, the labor movement overall was in decline with the majority of workers remaining unprotected and without access to upward mobility.