If you backchat a bosses goon he can kidnap you and if resist he can shoot you and if he hits an old lady nothing happens to him. The bosses treat the labourers like slaves and keep them in what amounts to concentration camps by not letting them leave. Seems to me the bosses behaviour was pretty much the same as the 'bosses' in Germany at the time.
shareThe bosses were thugs who acted as if they were above the law, often with the "bought and paid for" badges in their entourage. Labor unions and labor laws were new and often viewed as socialist or communist, hence the question posed by Tom about "what's this being called a red for speaking your mind". The quote I used was paraphrased of course, but the sentiment is there. It was a terrible time in the US. The only thing that ended the Great Depression here was WW2 mobilization.
"check the imdb cast list before asking who portrayed who in movies please"
Not so much politics as tight fisted bullies wanted to keep wages cheap and conditions bad.
shareShort answer, yes.
Quot homines, tot sententiae.