Trade Union and Labour turning points

Question 1

1890s rights to unionise and take industrial action

Answer 1

Yes

• Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890 Unintentionally supplying a legal framework to refute the right to unionise which dictated relations between unions and employers until the New Deal of the 1930s

But

• This had little real effect with the relationship between employers and unions, before the act employers had no reason to recognise unions, after they had a real framework not to.
  Before large scale union action like Pennsylvanian Coal Miner’s Strike 1873-77 had been put down by employer backed brutality, the Pinkertons being used to fire on the workers and hanging 19 leaders

Question 2

1920s rights to unionise and take industrial action

Answer 2

Yes

• Company unions and yellow dog contracts to stop workers joining external unions kept workers from the right to unionise in a scale which hadn’t been seen before
• The number of workers involved in strikes decreases from 1 million to 288,000 between 1921-29

But

• Lack of longevity, the New Deal of the 30s can broadly be seen as positive with Union membership increasing to 9 million in 1938 from 3.7 million in 1933

Question 3

1920s rights to wages and working standards

Answer 3

Yes

Unemployment decreasing to 3% and real wages soaring

But

By no means a turning point, the New Deal caused unemployment to soar again to 25%

Question 4

The New Deal rights to unionise and take industrial action

Answer 4

Yes

The Wagner Act 1935
Legally assures the rights to unionise and collectively bargain, banning yellow dog contracts

But

Lack of longevity, Smith Connally Act 1943 took away the right strike for this working in war related production and set a 30 day period where other strikes had to be declared before happening
This was followed by Taft Hartley in 1947 which banned federal employees from striking and restricted union activity

Question 5

The New Deal rights to wages and fair working standards

Answer 5

Yes

• Social Security Act 1935
  Guaranteed unemployment and disabled benefits as well as pensions
• Fair Labour Standards Act 1938, establishes a $25/week minimum wage and prohibited child labour under 16
• This was the first time the federal government had moved to assure workers rights in this scale
• These acts had influence thought the rest of the period

But

Counter with others

Question 6

The New Deal rights to equality

Answer 6

Yes

Through alphabet agencies 3 million African Americans found work as well as many other immigrants at the poorest levels of society

But

Continuation of past attitudes as domestic and agricultural labour was cut out of social security by southern democrats, these were areas dominated by migrant, African American and female workers
- The Fair Labour Standards Act 1938 cemented a gender wage disparity which wasn’t overturned until the 1930s

Question 7

1960s rights wages and fair working standards

Answer 7

Yes

• 1963-68 Johnson’s great society aimed to deal with the poverty in America helping 100,000 with the Jobs Corps and 200,000 with the training programs

But

• Johnson’s efforts were halted by the Vietnam war, did not begin any trend to deal with American poverty

Question 8

1960s rights to equality

Answer 8

Yes

• The equal pay act 1963 ending formalised gender wage disparities
• 1964 Civil Rights Act
• Chavez and the National Farmworker’s Association 1965 was the first notable unionisation of farm labourers, involving 17 million in a strike Delano Grapes
• This was carried on with Affirmative Action 1969 into the 70s, 300,000 companies being held by percentage minority quotas

But

• Counter with others

Question 9

Reagan’s presidency rights to unionise and take industrial action

Answer 9

Yes

• Decimation of the labour movement at PACTO 1981, firing 11,400.
• It never recovered the legacy being that in the year 1991 only 56 strikes occured as opposed to 275 a year between 1960 and 1980

But

This was an acceleration of an on going trend of decline
- 1960, 31% of the workforce was unionised, 1970 27.5% of the workforce, 1980 25% of the workforce, 1992 16% of the workforce

Question 10

Reagan’s presidency rights to wages and fair working standards

Answer 10

Yes

Reagan was greatly opposed to raising the minimum wage, a big difference in policy form the more left wing Cater who raised the minimum wage to $2.65 in 1977. This right wing trend continued into the Bush era

But

• Not a dramatic change