The Knights of Labor had strongly supported…

The Knights of Labor had strongly supported the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Contract Labor Law of 1885, as had many other labor groups, although the Knights do accept most others, including skilled and unskilled women of any profession.

The Wabash Railroad strike in 1885 had also been a significant success for the Knights, as Terence Powderly had finally supported what had become a successful strike on Jay Gould's Wabash Line.

Gould had met with Powderly and agreed to call off his campaign against the Knights of Labor, which had caused the turmoil originally.

These positive developments have given momentum and a surge of members, so by 1886, the Knights have over seven hundred thousand members.

Membership declines with the problems of an autocratic structure, mismanagement, and unsuccessful strikes.

Disputes between the skilled trade unionists (also known as craft unionists) and the industrial unionists weaken the organization.

The top leadership does not believe that strikes are an effective way to up the status of the working people, and fails to develop the infrastructure that is necessary to organize and coordinate the hundreds of strikes, walkouts, and job actions spontaneously erupting among the membership.