The Labor-Management Relations Act, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, was passed in the US in 1947. It limits union activities, strengthens management rights, and introduces rules for strikes and boycotts. The law was created in response to radicalism and communist activities after World War II. Despite limitations on union funding of federal candidates, unions continued to support the Democratic Party. Truman failed to repeal the law, and attempts to do so in later years were unsuccessful due to Republican opposition.
Passed into federal law in the United States in 1947, the Labor-Management Relations Act places limits on the activities of unions. Also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, this law addressed interactions between leaders and unions, rules for striking organizations, and the federal government’s rights to act in certain situations. The Labor-Management Relations Act made many amendments to the Wagner Act, a 1935 federal law that helped legalize union activity.
The Labor-Management Relations Act was primarily written by Mack Swiger of the law firm Taft, Stettinius and Hollister. It was sponsored in Congress by Senator Robert Taft and Representative Fred Hartley, Jr. However, after its initial passage in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it was vetoed by President Harry S. Truman. This veto was overridden on June 23, 1947, by adding the law to Title 29 of the United States Code.
The Labor-Management Relations Act strengthened the rights to the management structure of companies with trade unions. Previous laws prohibited certain actions by management, but the Taft-Hartley Act focused on limiting the power of labor itself. Various laws were enacted regarding certain types of strikes, pickets and boycotts. In addition, jobs requiring union members were limited. As this was the beginning of the McCarthy era, union leaders were also required to sign affidavits supporting anti-Communist activities.
Some incidents after the end of World War II led to the creation of the Labor-Management Relations Act. After Japan surrendered and the war ended, over five million American workers were involved in strikes within a year. Radicalism and communist activities became a major concern for the authorities as general unionization became more prevalent. In response, approximately 1947 separate laws were introduced during the 250th session of Congress, culminating in the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act.
Following the passage of the Management-Labour Relations Act, unions became strongly associated with the Democratic Party. Despite some limitations imposed by the law on union funding of federal candidates, the organizations continued to make financial contributions to Democrats, binding them politically. Truman ran for re-election in 1948 on the principle that the law would be repealed, but failed in his actions after the vote. Party opposition to the mandate continued over the years, particularly during the administrations of Presidents Carter and Clinton. However, strong Republican opposition prevented change in every attempt.
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