Trade Union and Labour Rights Essay Plans

To what extent were the 1920s and the 1930s the most important period of progress for organized labour in the USA 1865-1992P1 1920s&30s - Were a turning pointNo real advancement for trade unions in the 1920s1933 National Industry Recovery Act - National Recovery Board - 557 codes signed by employersHowever, was found unconstitutional in 19351935 Wagner Act - Right to join trade unions - advancement of the workforceP2 1960s& 70sTU become more powerful due to the creation of the AFL-CIO in 1955Increased need for skilled workersUnskilled workers become more protective of their jobs and so become unwilling to strike - DIVISIONIncrease in Foreign production - 1979 94% of Fords profits are from overseas1962 Kennedy legalizes public employee unions1963 Equal Pay Act 1964 Economic Opportunities Act 1965 Age Discrimination ActIncrease in the development of labour rightsP4. 1890s 1894 Pullman StrikeFederal Government was forced to intervene. Fed troops sent in to stop the strike. Indicated the extent that employers were willing to go to hinder the development of labour rights 1892 Homestead Steel StrikeOrganized and purposeful strike - By 1900 not a single steel TU in Pennsylvania remainedEmployers in other industry became nervous of allowing TUP4. WWI & WWII1918 National War Labor Board - Created for the FG to negotiate with TU - TU agreed not to hold any strikes and in return guaranteed the rights of workers to join unions and collective bargaining. - This has to be reenforced in 1933 under the National Industry Recovery ActWWII - Control of industry taken over by FG 1943 became illegal to instigate a strike and TU had to give up to 30 days notice for any strikes Divisions remindP5. 1981 PATCO StrikesHighlighted Reagan's hostility towards TUScab labour was used - Not really used since the late 19th centuryRegan ordered all striking employees to return to work within 48hrs or they would be fired - Followed through with this.Lack of public support for strikersPACTO was destroyedConc. The 1920s & 30s saw substantial progress for TU and labour rights, however the 1947 Taft-Hartley act restricted this progress made. In addition to this, social issues such as the 'Red Scare' following the second world war hindered potential progress that could be made for TU. The 1920s and 1930s saw a period of a change but this positivity could not be seen by 1980 where the majority of TU had lost any real support both from the public and politically.

To what extent did the Federal Government hinder the development of trade union and labour rights during the period1865-1992P1 - Federal Government1959 Landrum Griffin Act1947 Taft Hartley Act - Restricted rights of TU that had been given in 1933 under the National Industry Recovery Act1981 Regan's defeat of PATCOP2 Unpopular 1981 PATCO stake had a lack of support from the public1933-37 Ford's battle with unions (welfare capitalism) - Ignore by the federal government & public1892 Pinkertons were used to bust TUP3. StateSociety was divided and this hindered the development of trade union and labour rightsBlack/ White Knights of Labor (1869) - Allowed blacks/ United Mine Worker's (1886) Disliked blacksOld/New Immigrants - AFL (1886) Disliked b. immigrantsMale/Female United Mine Workers (1886) No women Catholic/ProtestantP4. Internal DivisionsKnights of Labor 1869 - Women + Blacks - Industry-Disliked StrikesUnited Mine Workers 1886 - No Women + Blacks - Socialist & Industry - Striking encouragedDivided and cancelled each other outAFL 1886 - Few women + disliked black immigrants - Craft- Aim to improve wages (strikes countered this)CIO 1938 - Unskilled- Industrial-StrikingMerged 1955 AFL-CIO - Positive as old divisions were repairedIndustrial Workers of the World 1905 - Open to all- Unskilled- committed to revolutionMolly Maguires 1865 - Coal Miners - Secretive + Radical - Violent strikingLack of sympathy and lack of public supportP5. Employers1933-37 Ford's battle with unions - Welfare CapitalismYellow Dog Contracts - Not allowed to join TUNational Recovery Board 557codes signed by employers Employers fairly absent from TU and labour rightsConc. With other factors such as the impact that WWI, WWI and the "red scare" trade unions were listed and thus hindered as they themselves appeared too socialist. However, this attitude of McCarthyism was created by the federal government but cannot be considered the only factor to hinder TU.