Unions and union members were often accused of being

In American society (especially during the early 20th century) unions and union members were accused of being communists. One of the reasons why they were associated with this idea was due to the fact that they wanted the US government to step in to help workers. One way in which unions and union workers wanted the government to help was by establishing a minimum wage law. Before the early 20th century, the idea of minimum wage was not seen often and considered to be communist like because it involves the government controlling how much businesses pay their employees. In a communist system, the government helps to control what businesses do on a day-to-day basis. This is why the connection was made between union/union groups and communism.