What role did the government play in defining, protecting, and/or limiting the liberty of American workers during the Gilded Age?

To begin, the Gilded Age is a period of American history the spans the period from post-Civil War to the beginning of the twentieth century, or roughly 1865–1900.
The American factory system gained traction in this period, and trade unions arose to try to protect workers from exploitation. However, the American government did little to support workers or trade unions, and even Supreme Court rulings rarely went in favor of workers. State governments, as well, often sided with factory owners against union workers. Two notable cases that support this view of history are the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike.
Overall, in this period of American history, little was done by state and government officials to protect the rights of American laborers. Factories were often unsafe places to work, hours were long, and wages were low. The capitalists that owned the factories and big businesses did not face much in the way of regulation that looked out for the health, safety, and freedom of unskilled or low-skilled workers. The government, by and large, turned a blind eye as the nation prospered on the backs of working people.
https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/amworkerintro