Previously, I had a US History episode, which was very random for me. I'm not much of a social studies person, but again I had a bit of an episode resulting in the research of unions from the beginning of the 1900's to today. I guess what got me started was my project I had to do for my history class, but what I found was super interesting so I decided to share some of it with you.
From the beginning of WWI and up until today, laborers across America have fought for their rights. In 1914 the National War Labor Board was created, and headed by William Howard Taft. The board gained rights with an increase in wages and a strict eight hour day. With this the membership in unions increased. In the year of 1919, laborers were not happy with their wages; over 4 million workers went on strike. The discontent of workers continued into the Great Depression, where jobs became scarce. Various administrations and acts were created by congress to produce more jobs and protect workers rights. An example being the Wagner Act of 1935 which gave workers rights to unionize and bargain collectively. In the 1930s union membership was at a point of about 3 million members, but by the 1940s it increased to over 10 million members. The American Federation of Labor was a popular union, only open to white, skilled male workers. The federation was a less radical group, compared to others, with a more authoritative presence. In 1938 the first “code of conduct” for business was created: the Fair Labor Standards Act. This made a minimum wage of 40 cents an hour, a maximum work week of forty hours and restrictions for child labor under the age of 16. WWII was a period of no strikes; the Taft-Hartley Labor Act limited powers of unions and the circumstanced in which they could strike. In the 1950s union gains, such as with GM occurred and by the 1960s 1/3 of Americans were members of a union. With the AFL and CIO merging, big unions meant more power, with many blue-collar workers who had middle class incomes. At the time, unions seemed good, but from the 1970s-1980s the government created a series of antiunion policies. In 1970, 180,000 postal workers stuck, later on President Reagan began harsh on union members. In 1990 only 14 percent of the population belonged to the union. Today, there are 7 major unions representing 6 million workers.
From the beginning of WWI and up until today, laborers across America have fought for their rights. In 1914 the National War Labor Board was created, and headed by William Howard Taft. The board gained rights with an increase in wages and a strict eight hour day. With this the membership in unions increased. In the year of 1919, laborers were not happy with their wages; over 4 million workers went on strike. The discontent of workers continued into the Great Depression, where jobs became scarce. Various administrations and acts were created by congress to produce more jobs and protect workers rights. An example being the Wagner Act of 1935 which gave workers rights to unionize and bargain collectively. In the 1930s union membership was at a point of about 3 million members, but by the 1940s it increased to over 10 million members. The American Federation of Labor was a popular union, only open to white, skilled male workers. The federation was a less radical group, compared to others, with a more authoritative presence. In 1938 the first “code of conduct” for business was created: the Fair Labor Standards Act. This made a minimum wage of 40 cents an hour, a maximum work week of forty hours and restrictions for child labor under the age of 16. WWII was a period of no strikes; the Taft-Hartley Labor Act limited powers of unions and the circumstanced in which they could strike. In the 1950s union gains, such as with GM occurred and by the 1960s 1/3 of Americans were members of a union. With the AFL and CIO merging, big unions meant more power, with many blue-collar workers who had middle class incomes. At the time, unions seemed good, but from the 1970s-1980s the government created a series of antiunion policies. In 1970, 180,000 postal workers stuck, later on President Reagan began harsh on union members. In 1990 only 14 percent of the population belonged to the union. Today, there are 7 major unions representing 6 million workers.
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