What tactic did businesses predominantly utilize against unions during labor strikes?

Businesses predominantly utilized tactics aimed at breaking the power of unions during labor strikes, which reflects a strategic approach to manage and suppress collective bargaining efforts. When workers organized to demand better wages, working conditions, or benefits, their efforts often threatened the established power dynamics within companies. As a countermeasure, businesses might resort to various methods to undermine union influence, such as hiring replacement workers (often referred to as "scabs"), implementing lockouts, or engaging in aggressive public relations campaigns to discredit the unions.

These tactics were rooted in a desire to maintain control over the workforce and to deter other employees from joining or supporting union activities. By breaking the power of unions, businesses aimed to prevent strikes from disrupting operations and maintain their profitability and autonomy in decision-making regarding labor practices.

In contrast, promoting dialogue, offering wage increases, or endorsing unions are strategies that could foster collaboration or negotiation between workers and employers, which would typically not be associated with the primary tactics employed against unions during labor disputes.