Taft Hartley Act

Taft Hartley Act Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about the Taft Hartley Act.

What did the Taft Hartley Act do? The Taft Hartley Act curbed the power of the Unions by outlawing the 'closed shop' system and opened up jobs to non-union members. It banned jurisdictional strikes It prohibited the 'featherbedding' or making work' system that limited of worker productivity. The law also banned unions from using their funds to support political campaigns.

When was the Taft Hartley Act passed? The Taft Hartley Act was passed on June 23, 1947 at the start of the Cold War, during the Red Scare and the wave of anti-communist hysteria.

What was the purpose of the Taft Hartley Act? The Taft Hartley Act was passed to equalize the powers of management and labor and to restructure the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Opposition to the Taft Hartley Act: The Taft Hartley bill was denounced by unions as a "Slave Labor Act"

Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids
The following fact sheet contains interesting information, history and facts on Taft Hartley Act for kids.

Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 1: Following WW2 the years leading up to the passage of the Taft Hartley Act were some of the worst in labor history, in terms of strikes

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 2: Tension among labor unions, employees, and employers intensified as the rise in post war prices led to increased inflation.  As the cost of living rose, workers across the nation went on strike for higher pay.  

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 3: As the number of strikes and labor unrest increased and prices continued to rise. Americans were demanding action and there were cries to limit the power of labor unions to reduce the number of strikes that were crippling the nation

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 4: The nation was gripped in the second Red Scare and the early events of the Cold War brought about a wave wave of anti-communist hysteria. Unions began to be feared as harbors for Communist sympathizers and union leaders were being labeled as "Reds" or "Bolshies". This period in history also gave rise to McCarthyism.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 5: The 1947 Taft Hartley law (Labor-Management Relations Act) impose limits on labor's ability to strike and prohibiting radicals from Union leadership.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 6: The law included a list of prohibited actions, referred to as unfair labor practices, on the part of unions in order to balance the provisions of the Wagner Act which had only prohibited unfair labor practices committed by employers.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 7: Jurisdictional Strikes: Jurisdictional strikes and sympathy strikes or secondary boycotts were outlawed by the Taft–Hartley Act. A Jurisdictional strike is a strike resulting from a dispute between the members of different unions over work assignments.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 8: Strikes: The amendments required unions and employers to give 60 days notice to each other and other official bodies before they undertook strikes in pursuit of a new collective bargaining agreement

Continued...

Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids

Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids: Declaration of Policy
The opening statement, or declaration of policy, of the Taft Hartley Act made its intentions very clear.

Facts about the Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids
The following fact sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts on Taft Hartley Act for kids.

Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 9: The Taft Hartley Act authorized the President to intervene in actual or potential strikes that would result in a national emergency

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 10: Strikes: The law also prohibited federal employees from striking

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 11: Section 14(b) of the Taft Hartley Act affirmed the right of states to enact 'Right to Work' laws. A Right to Work law guarantees that no one can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or not to join a union, nor to pay dues to a labor union.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 12: Union Funds: The law banned unions from using their funds to support political campaigns.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 13: Closed Shops: The 'closed shop' system was prohibited, opening up jobs to non-union members.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 14: Anti-communism: The anti-communist hysteria was reflected in the Taft Hartley Act which contained an anti-Communist clause that required union leaders to take an oath stating that they were not communists.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 15: The law revised the free speech policy of the Wagner Act to allow employers to deliver anti-union messages in the workplace.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 16: Supervisors: The law allowed employers to terminate the employment of supervisors who engaged in union activities or did not support the employer's stance.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 17: The bill was denounced by unions as a "Slave Labor" law protesting that it wiped out the gains that Unions had made since 1933 and appealed to President Truman to veto the legislation

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 18: The Democratic President Truman vetoed the act, but the Republican Party who had taken control of both houses of Congress in 1946, which enabled the passage of the legislation to be passed over his veto. Twenty-eight Democratic members of Congress declared it a "new guarantee of industrial slavery."

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 19: Federal courts have upheld major provisions of the Taft Hartley Labor Act, with the exception of the clauses about political expenditures.

Taft Hartley Act Facts - 20: Attempts to repeal the law have been unsuccessful, but the Landrum-Griffin Act (1959), officially known as the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, amended some features of the Taft Hartley Act.

Taft Hartley Act Facts for kids

Taft Hartley Act - President Harry Truman Video
The article on the Taft Hartley Act provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following Harry Truman video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 33rd American President whose presidency spanned from April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953.

Taft Hartley Act

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