Origins of the Labor Movement…Part 5: Major Developments in the 20th Century
The 1926 Railway Labor Act was the first to guarantee workers'
rights to organize and collectively bargain. The 1933 National Industry
Recovery Act gave this right to all employees, but this was later
struck down by the Supreme Court. This was finally achieved in 1935
with the National Labor Relations Act, which attempted to tip the
balance of power to equality between employer and employee. It gave
power to the National Labor Relations Board to handle industrial
disputes and to enforce its decisions.
Eventful on the strike-front was the Great Sit-Down Strike of 1936-7,
in which General Motors workers reported to duty but refused to work.
The Governor and President Roosevelt eventually pushed for a settlement
in order to avoid a bloodbath of militia intervention. (GM eventually
recognized the United Auto Workers as exclusive bargaining agents).
Other major legislation of the 20th century:
- 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act (established a $.25 minimum wage and 44 hour workweek)
- 1943
Smith-Connelly Bill (over FDR veto): allowed presidential intervention
in strikes during the war effort; prohibited union funds from being
used as political contributions
- 1947 Taft-Hartley (over Truman
veto): gave freedom for antiunion campaigns, prohibited secondary
boycotts/jurisdictional campaigns, banned the closed shop, let states
ban union shops, allowed unions to be sued for breach of contract,
required 60 day notice to terminate/modify contract, allowed the
president to call an 8-day injunction against strikes in a national
emergency
- 1959 Landrum-Giffith Act (because of
racketeering/corruption): established democratic union election
procedures, guaranteed protection of union funds and rights of members
- 1963 Equal Pay Act
- 1964 Civil Rights Act (EOE)
- 1967 Age Discrimination In Employment Act
- 1970 Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA)
- 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
- 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act