Did the actions of the federal government promote the consolidation of trade union rights?

Question 1

Who are the federal government?

Answer 1

-congress
-supreme court
-president

Question 2

Describe the federal government attitudes towards the unions

Answer 2

-disliked them and didn’t trust them

Question 3

Explain how much the government attitudes towards unions changed since 1865?

Answer 3

-recognised them and working/consulting with them->as a result of WW1 and WW2 and the Great Depression->wanted workers to work rather than striking so shortened the working day
-New Deal changed the government’s attitudes due to wanting to improve the economy

Question 4

How will federal attitudes towards the unions change post 1945?

Answer 4

-want people to carry on working

Question 5

What key dates are there for federal government intervention?

Answer 5

-Pullman Strike, 1894
-World War One, 1914-18
-Great Depression, 1929
-World War Two, 1939-45
-PATCO Strike, 1981

Question 6

What was the government action to do with the Pullman Strike? When?

Answer 6

-1894 (same year as Plessy vs Ferguson)
-Gov action in support of workers was often unusual - except Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890: an attempt to restrict monopolies by which large companies were able to control a trade. This was the case in Pullman Strike
-Attorney general: advises the government, individual government departments and individual government ministers on legal matters

Question 7

What happened with the Pullman Strike of 1894?

Answer 7

-Members of the Pullman company went on strike due to wages - prevented trains running across the US
-Employees in other industries also joined the strike out of sympathy->causing other strikes
-Business stopped as goods could not be transported

Question 8

Why did the federal government intervene with the Pullman Strike of 1894?

Answer 8

-Mail was transported by rail, so the government used this as an excuse to break up the strike - ‘preventing interference of the mail’ - they issued an injunction to break the strike
-This was the Omnibus Indictment Act (1894)
-Federal government sent in troops - 2500 - 4 people were killed

Question 9

What’s an injunction?

Answer 9

-amendment/emergency power to do something->temporary/specific thing

Question 10

What was the Omnibus Indictment Act of 1894?

Answer 10

-prevents general strike>no sympathy strike action
-TUs can strike but can’t spread

Question 11

What were the outcomes of the Pullman Strike of 1894?

Answer 11

-Deterred and legally prevented general strikes by the passing of the Omnibus Indictment Act (remained in force until 1935 Wagner Act)
-HINDERED

Question 12

What was the government action to do with the PATCO Strike? When?

Answer 12

-Ronald Reagon - president in 1981 - wanted to reduce powers of unions. -He wanted to remove restrictive legislation that hindered US industry, but often protected workers

Question 13

What happened with the PATCO strike of 1981?

Answer 13

-the government was unwilling to allow air traffic controllers to be paid more for working fewer hours

Question 14

Why did the federal government intervene in the PATCO strike?

Answer 14

-concerned that it would have an impact on the economy
-strike was in Contravention of a 1955 Act->prevented government workers from striking->Reagan announced that if the workers did not return within 48 hours their contracts would be ended
-those who didn’t strike were augmented by supervisors and military air-traffic controllers were sped up-> turning point as it redefined industrial relations->reflected in the decline in strikes and union membership that followed

Question 15

What were the outcomes of the PATCO strike of 1981?

Answer 15

-the government had given a clear message as to how they thought relations with unions should proceed and this was continued within the membership of the Labor Relations Board-> appointments to this board were made by the president and he ensured that those appointed supported his views and thus ensured that any disputes that went before it were likely to favour the employer
-FAILED

Question 16

What was the government action to do with WW1 and WW2?

Answer 16

-Picketing: During a strike, workers may stand outside a place of work to discourage other workers from entering the business

Question 17

What happened with WW1 and WW2?

Answer 17

-the increased demand in production offered employers the opportunity to increase their profits-> but meant that they had to adopt a more conciliatory attitude towards unions and their members
-wars encouraged the governments intervention in the economy which also benefited the workers-> increase in union members

Question 18

Why did the federal government intervene with WW1 and WW2?

Question 19

What were the outcomes with WW1 and WW2?

Question 20

Who was president during the Great Depression?

Answer 20

FDR

Question 21

What happened with the Great Depression?

Question 22

Why did the federal government intervene with the Great Depression?

Question 23

What were the outcomes of the Great Depression

Question 24

What were the challenges from 1865-1914?

Answer 24

-Divisions between skilled and unskilled workers
-Leadership
-The actions of businessmen and employers
-Immigration, racial and ethnic diversity
-Militancy within the labour unions
-State and federal authorities

Question 25

What was the divisions between skilled and unskilled workers due to?

Answer 25

-Division between skilled and unskilled workers and inequality determined by racial and ethnic difference was a barrier to solidarity

Question 26

What was the Taft Hartley Act's leadership?

Answer 26

-Taft Hartley Act (Labour Management Relations Act) 1947->restrained the power of trade unions, weakened CIO due to divisions between non/communists->weakened claim towards representing unskilled working classes, contributed towards the AFL-CIO merge

Question 27

What was the Pullman Porters Union's leadership?

Answer 27

-Pullman Porters Union->threatened march of 50,000 on Washington in June 1941

Question 28

What were unions like after/during WW2?

Answer 28

Trade unions grew rapidly->1940: 8.9 million to 1945: 14.8 million->NWLB looked favourably on trade unions -End of war time controls unleashed massive waves of strike->growing belief unions were becoming too powerful, anti-communist focus post 1945 -Unions became more of a political force->democrats were keen to attract the vote of organised labour, union membership trebled 1932 to 1939 by 7 million

Question 29

What was the Taft Hartley Act (Labour Management Relations Act) 1947?

Answer 29

-made it illegal for unions to operate a ‘closed shop’ and affirmed the right of states to pass ‘right to work’ laws->regulated conduct of unions in their dealings with employers -required to make a sworn statement of non-Communist allegiance before they could vote for members of the National Labor Relations Board

Question 30

What were the actions of businessmen and employers?

Answer 30

-National War Labor Board (NWLB) -'right to work' laws -old tensions resurfacing

Question 31

What was the NWLB's impact on the actions on businessmen and employers?

Answer 31

-National War Labor Board (NWLB) est. 1941 unions in essential industries had to forego strike action for the duration of the war - adjudicated wage disputes. July->increased pressure to increase wages, permitted 15% cost of living increase; wage rise plus overtime pay boosted average industrial earnings by 70%

Question 32

What were the 'right to work' laws' impact on the actions of businessmen and employers?

Answer 32

-Numerous states in the South passed ‘right to work’ laws prohibiting the closed shop, and in 1941 Ford Motor Company finally recognised the Auto Workers Union

Question 33

What tensions were there around the actions of businessmen and employers?

Answer 33

-When peace ensued in 1945, many old tensions between employer and employee reappeared with the federal government playing a controversial role

Question 34

What was Immigration, racial and ethnic diversity's impact on workers?

Answer 34

-1 million AAs found jobs during the war years -black factory workers remained restricted to the more menial jobs->A. Philip Randolph (leader of Pullman Porters unions) threatened a march of 50,000 on Washington in 1941 -president responded with an order forbidding racial discrimination in all defence projects and creating a Fair Employment Practices Committee->but lacked enforcement powers -black migration led to riots in several northern cities

Question 35

What was the militancy within the labour unions?

Answer 35

-Increase in wartime production & expansion of armed forces, halting of overseas immigration led to a fall in unemployment from 1940 - 9 million-> 1943 - 783,000

Question 36

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs - factors? (9)

Answer 36

-New Deal -Union action -the Office of War and Mobilisation -republicans -President Truman -CIO -WW2 -General Motors 1948 -unemployment

Question 37

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs to do with the New Deal?

Answer 37

-New Deal legislation helped workers e.g. National Labor Relations Act 1935 - turning point in establishing within the law worker’s rights

Question 38

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs to do with Union action?

Answer 38

-Action was taken to exert control over union action->1943 President empowered to seize any plant where strike action threatened to integers with war production, made it illegal to instigate strike and required unions to give 30 day notice of all strikes

Question 39

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs to do with the Office of War and Mobilisation?

Answer 39

-the Office of War and Mobilisation set up in May 1943 established priorities and set production targets

Question 40

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs to do with republicans?

Answer 40

-Republicans won both Houses of Congress in the elections of 1946 they resolved to restrain union activity

Question 41

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs to do with Truman?

Answer 41

-President Truman tried to veto the Taft Hartley Act in order to retain the labour vote and he was overruled by Congress

Question 42

What did the state and federal authorities do for TUs to do with CIO?

Answer 42

-CIO expelled 10 communist led unions in 1949 - depriving the union of 1/3rd of its members and its most capable leaders

Question 43

What did WW2 do for TUs?

Answer 43

-WW2 control taken away from employers in order to serve the war effort - balance in favour of employees

Question 44

What did General Motors 1948 do for TUs?

Answer 44

-General Motors 1948 - pay code linked to standard of living costs->1950 package extended to include a 5 year contract giving pensions and cost of living increases to employees. Although these were partly to avert strike action

Question 45

What did unemployment do for TUs?

Answer 45

-Balance swung more to the workers, in post-Depression imperative to reduce unemployment and to stimulate the economy & gov need to be in control of wartime production