▁nest ▁for ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁labor ▁causes : ▁the ▁campaign ▁to ▁free ▁Tom ▁Mo oney , ▁plans ▁to ▁launch ▁a ▁labor ▁party , ▁and , ▁most ▁important ly , ▁programs ▁to ▁organ ize ▁the ▁thousands ▁of ▁un sk illed ▁workers ▁in ▁the ▁City ' s ▁pack ing h ouses , ▁steel ▁mill s ▁and ▁other ▁mass ▁production ▁indust ries . ▁ ▁Organ izing ▁pack ing house ▁workers ▁ ▁Un ions ▁had ▁tried ▁to ▁organ ize ▁the ▁pack ing h ouses ▁for ▁dec ades ▁before ▁World ▁War ▁I : ▁the ▁Kn ights ▁of ▁Labor ▁had ▁led ▁organ izing ▁drives ▁among ▁these ▁workers ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 7 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 8 8 0 s , ▁while ▁the ▁Am alg am ated ▁Me at ▁C ut ters ▁and ▁But cher ▁Work men ▁had ▁made ▁g ains ▁among ▁the ▁many ▁diverse ▁eth nic ▁groups ▁working ▁in ▁the ▁industry ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁de cade ▁of ▁the ▁century . ▁In ▁both ▁cases ▁the ▁industry , ▁now ▁concentr ated ▁in ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁a ▁few ▁large ▁and ▁powerful ▁corpor ations , ▁drove ▁the ▁un ions ▁out . ▁ ▁The ▁war , ▁however , ▁changed ▁things . ▁The ▁demand ▁for ▁meat ▁increased ▁trem end ously ▁during ▁the ▁war , ▁while ▁the ▁draft ▁and ▁the ▁difficulty ▁of ▁importing ▁more ▁workers ▁from ▁Europe ▁led ▁to ▁labor ▁short ages ▁that ▁reduced ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁persons ▁willing ▁to ▁sc ab ▁in ▁the ▁event ▁of ▁a ▁strike . ▁In ▁addition , ▁the ▁federal ▁government ▁had ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁maintain ing ▁production ▁un