Native-born employees in the United States often viewed immigrants as potential rivals. They were worried that immigration would lower wages and working standards, making the labor market more unstable and unsafe for everyone. They were also concerned that immigrants would be unfair competitors for jobs and housing. Employers were only too happy to actively encourage these fears and prejudices of native-born workers. For example, employers hired a lot of Eastern Europeans in the late nineteenth century because they were much cheaper labor than native-born workers. This intensified anti-immigrant feelings among white, native-born workers. Many immigrants experienced verbal and physical violence due to prejudice and discrimination.