Trade Unions and Labour Rights Flashcards
- Union and Labour rights in 1865 - impact of New - Immigration and industrialisation on union development - role of Federal governments in supporting and opposing union and labour rights - the impact of the World Wars on union and labour rights; the significance of the 1960s - Chavez and the UFW - significance of the Reagan era (29 cards)
Overall judgement on position of TU & workers rights through the period?
Though there were improvements since 1865, TUs & Workers still required greater improvements by the 1990s.
Overall judgement on FG role/attitude towards workers & unions?
- More so in opposition to Trade Unions and Labour rights, often using extreme violence, especially pre-WW1, to crush unions which inhibited progress in terms of recognition, right to action and improving pay and conditions,
- Despite slight periods of Government support, these were concentrated to the 1930s and 1960s which were quickly reneged on esp. by the 80s.
- This harsh reaction to union strikes reestablished the Federal Government’s vehement opposition to unions and returned the unions back to a state of inferiority. Therefore, in spite of short-lived periods of progress, by the end of the period Federal Governments had more or less maintained a position of opposition to the progression of Labour Rights.
Evidence demonstrating the FG opposition to TU right to exist
Period characterised by a series of violent suppression of strike action
- Great Railroad Strike 1877 in which 25 were killed, Haymarket affair 1886, homestead strike 1892 & Pullman strike 1894 – all were met with violent suppression from federal troops = FG unwilling to recog. unions
- Opposition legitimised through legal cases/SC rulings: Adair v. Us 1908 ruling that prevented the banning of yellow-dog contracts, forcing workers to abandon union movements & Taft-Hartley Act 1947 reversed Wagner’s gains = allowed states to pass ‘right to work’ laws.= again govt legislation infringing on right to join unions.
- By the end of the period fed. Govt support for unions right to exist was relatively limited as Reagan’s use of the Taft Hartley act legislation to crush the 1981 PATCO strikes, firing 11,000 workers firmly cemented the us govts attitude towards unions, returning to a state of unwillingness to cooperate.
Evidence of FG support of TU right to exist
- ‘New Deal’ era = TP? in fed. Govt attitudes as more liberal acts began to be passed
- Wagner act (1935) legally recognised unions and workers right to unionise
- Exec. Order 10988 of 1962 which similarly granted fed employers right to unionise, formally recognising union right to exist
BUT this ‘support’ for unions was short lived.
Evidence of FG opposition to right to strike
- Haymarket affair (1886) when federal troops were sent in to quell the unionists
- Ludlow Massacre (1914) with federal troops intervening in resistance to the strikers ult. killing 25.
Then witnessed a move to restrictive legislation rather than overt violence:
- Steel strike act of 1959 & the PATCO strike of 1981 as both times presidents Eisenhower and Reagan invoked the Taft-Hartley act to crush union strikes, symbolising the lack of progress in fed govt attitude as the severe crushing of these strikes revealed the constancy of the govts unwillingness to recog. Strike action.
FG support of right to strike
- New Deal Era as a ST TP:
- Norris-LaGuardia Act (1932) restricted the use of court injunctions against strikes, allowing for more successful strikes like the Flint Sit-Down Strike (1936-7) when the government refrained from sending troops
- Nat. Lab. Relations Board est. in 1938 = Govt began to recognise that there was a need to coop.
FG opposed to improving Pay & Conditions
- ignorance of strikes and violent reactions sig. prevented the fight for improved pay & conditions.
- Haymarket affair 1886, railroad strikes of 1946 when Truman threatened to draft workers & PATCO strike 1980 = all strikes were crushed by govt. and resulted in no significant changes in conditions – federal government opposition to cooperating with unions ultimately prevented them from advocating for and achieving benefits.
Evidence of FG supported improving Pay & Conditions
- Grant’s 1869 8hr work-day & Adamson Act (1916) which established an 8-hour workday and additional overtime pay BUT both were limited as they only affected specific groups; federal workers and interstate railroad workers respectively.
- The ‘New Deal’ era, the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) established the minimum wage and overtime pay to a broader range of workers; indicating a period of federal government support & sim. ‘progressive’ Equal pay act of (1963) & OSHA the occupational safety & health association est. 1970 showing that there were lapses in the fed govts cutthroat opposition to tu rights
What was the Lochner v. New York (1905) act & what was its impact in terms of union rights.
The SC ruled against state laws limiting working hours, acting as a rather major setback in terms of union attempts to increase and improve their pay and conditions rights.
This illustrated that all branches of the FG were a major limiting force in terms of improving or attempts to improve Trade union & labour rights & were assertive in their distaste for improved pay.
What was Kennedy’s executive order 10988 in 1962 & what was its impact in terms of unions & workers rights.
Presidential recognition of workers right to unionise & engage in collective bargaining. This was hugely significant in terms of a renewed formal recognition of union right to exist & to take action.
UNDERMINE: Potentially only a reaction to the economic situation
SYNTHESIS: Some sustained attempts at increasing the recognition of union right to exist through the introduction of legislature: Wagner Act 1935 was landmark in formally recognising union right to exist, Kennedy’s executive order compounded and strengthened this.
What was the Wagner Act 1935 and what was its impact in terms of union rights?
Highly important as legally recognised union right to exist = landmark event for TUs because demonstrated that the FG was becoming somewhat more progressive, moving away from its vicious persecution and crushing of TU action.
UNDERMINE: The Wagner act was a component of Roosevelt’s New Deal, thus its motivations may not have been rooted in a conscious desire to improve Trade union rights but actually to bolster the US’ faltering economy in the face of the Great Depression - TU rights were an afterthought.
Impact was relatively short-lived? The Wagner act, whilst being of great symbolic importance was still rather weak in that the FG continued to persecute TUs and workers & returned to9 its more violent approach, using restrictive legislative measures to quell unions rather than explicit violence: the creation of the Taft-Hartley act 1947 = severely restricted union activities banning secondary boycotts and closed shops, and allowing states to pass “right-to-work” laws, which undermined unions’ ability to gain widespread recognition. = Presidents invoked T-H to quell unions: Steel strike of 1959 & the PATCO strike of 1981 as Eisenhower and Reagan invoked the Taft-Hartley act to crush union strikes, symbolising the lack of progress in fed govt attitude as the severe crushing of these strikes revealed the constancy of the govts unwillingness to recog. Strike action.
What was Coppage v. Kansas (1915) & what was its impact in terms of union rights.
Demonstrative of the SC’s vicious opposition to unions right to exist as allowed employers to introduce ‘yellow-dog’ contracts which forbade employees from joining unions = severely limiting TU pressurising power.
What was the Sherman anti-trust act (1890) & what was its impact in terms of TU rights
An act used by the SC to deem strike action illegal, rendering the unions virtually powerless.
=> legislative manifestation of FG desire to blockade TU action & limit their right to strike
What was the Adamson Act (1916) & what was its impact in terms of TU rights
- A law establishing the 8 hr work day for railroad workers = exemplified a minimal switch in FG attitude by taking first steps to improving pay & conditions through legislation.
BUT was limited to only railroad workers.
What was teh Norris LaGuardia act (1932) & what was its impact in terms of TU rights.
Alongside the Wagner act of 1935, the Norris LaGuardia act signalled a brief shift to more sympathetic legislation as the FG now banned yellow dog contracts. Theoretically indicative of teh FG inducing a greater ability to take action & for unions to exist.
However, v. minimal st impact/gain for TUs as the government merely returned to its prior limiting stance w/ the use of Taft Hartley 1947. => clearly illustrating taht this gain was never out of a desire to actively improve union rights but rather to bolster their rights as a means of resolving teh disrupted economy during teh great depression.
1960S -How far was this a turning point for TU rights (right to strike/take action)
SARG: NOT the most sig. tp bc only a periodic shift as opposed to lt & mainly motivated by economic situation. as infact the FG’s dogged pursuit of violence as a means to crush TUs across the Gilded age was far more impactful in limiting union right to strike.
1960s - How far was this a tp for TU rights (Pay & Conditions)
judgement: Whilst 1960s legislation intro. as a reaction to US economy as part fo Kennedy & Johnsons ‘Great Society’ rather than out of an actve decision to improve workers pay & conditions = most sig. as only period tp legislatively address p & c .
Therefore it is evident that the 1960s WAS the most major tp in terms of pay & conditions as it ushered in the largest amount of progressive legislative change for TUs, demonstrating that within this era there was a more significant push by the FG to improve workers & tus conditions than in any other period.
SARG evidence: 1963 Equal pay act, 1968 Age discrim., 1964 EOA
1960s - How far was this the most major tp for TU rights (right to exist)
Gilded age - how far was it the most sig. tp (right to take action)
Judgement: Gilded age WAS most important TP as signalled a somewhat long-lasting FG disgust w/ unions and a complete lack of desire to all unions to take action.
SARG: Cont. use of fed troops to crush union action:
- Haymarket affair (1886)
- Pullman strike (1894)
- Ludlow Massacre (1914) with federal troops intervening in resistance to the strikers ult. killing 25.
WARG:
Gilded age - how far was it the most sig. tp (pay & conditions)
warg: was a period of change in pay & conditions
SARG: NOT most impactful in terms of pay and conditions bc significantly greater impact came in the form of increased legislation improving working conditions & pay in the1960s
Gilded age - how far was it the most sig. tp (right to exist)
WARG:
SARG: Although hugely important in determining FG opposing stance to TU rights, was not necessarily long-lasting as the pursuit of the New Deal in the 1930s reconstructed the FG’s perception of TUs & was the era in which TUS right to exist was FORMALLY RECOGNISED.
Who were the KOL, what were their initial strengths & what was the turning point that undermined their role?
The Knights of Labor was a notable trade union formed in 1869.
- Membership jumped from 20k in 1881 to 700k by 86.
- Success at the Wabash rail strike in 85 drew major support for TUs and was crucial to the growth in the KOLs membership.
TP: The Haymarket Affair of 1886 massively damaged the KOLs reputation due to the use of violence which caused the unions rep. to collapse.
Give some examples of actions taken by Cesar Chavez (successful)
- Founder of the UFW (United Farm Workers) in 1962 which organised strikes & boycotts to draw attention to teh plight of workers & subsequently earn better pay.
- Use of non-violent strategies was quite successful in terms of winning national sympathy for the ‘moral cause’ of improving workers pay.
- successful strike action e.g. the Salad Bowl strike in 1970-71 which won higher wages for lettuce growers & directly triggered the 1975 establishment of the California Agricultural relations board which oversaw collective bargaining for farm laborers.
Give examples of failed actions taken by Cesar Chavez
- Union membership in the UFW declined due to the growing intro. of tech which created a more skilled workforces which didn’t require TUs.
- 1988 Grape boycott was a failure as a result.
