ID: Taft-Hartley Act

WHEN: June 23, 1947

Congress: Primarily Republican-controlled Congress.
President: Initially vetoed by President Harry Truman (later overridden by Congress).
Labor Unions: Targeted the power of labor unions.

A federal law that amended the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. Its main provisions included:

Outlawed the “closed shop” (requiring workers to be union members before being hired).
Permitted states to pass “right-to-work” laws (prohibiting union security agreements).
Banned jurisdictional strikes and secondary boycotts.
Required union leaders to take oaths that they were not communists.
Authorized the President to obtain injunctions to prevent strikes that threatened national health or safety (80-day “cooling-off” period).
Restricted union contributions to political campaigns.

Weakened Labor Unions: Significantly curtailed the power and influence of labor unions, reversing some gains made during the New Deal era.
Right-to-Work States: Led to the proliferation of right-to-work laws in many states, particularly in the South, which further hampered union organizing.
Political Impact: Fuelled debate about labor rights and government regulation of the economy. Solidified a conservative backlash against the perceived excesses of the New Deal and the growing power of unions.
Truman’s Veto: Truman’s initial veto, though overridden, solidified his support among labor unions and contributed to his unexpected victory in the 1948 election.
Long-Term Decline of Union Membership: Contributed to the long-term decline of union membership in the United States.