What did the Taft-Hartley Act do?

Answer 1

Passed in 1947, the Taft-Hartley Act amended the National Labor Relations Act (also known as the Wagner Act) of 1935. These amendments were detrimental to the interests of working Americans seeking to form or join a labor union, as they outlawed virtually all union organizing techniques that had been successful under the previous legislation.

This legislation put a range of new restrictions on unions. It prohibited the "closed shop," forbid federal employees from striking, and required union leaders to swear they weren't Communists.

Answer 2

The Taft-Hartley act of 1947 was effectively a set of amendments to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. The NRLA prohibited "unfair labor practices" by employers. The amendments enacted in Taft-Hartley added a list of prohibited actions, or "unfair labor practices" on the part of unions. The Taft--Hartley Act prohibited jurisdictional strikes (strikes over who is assigned to do which jobs), wildcat strikes (strikes occurring without the approval of the union the workers belong to), solidarity strikes (political strikes), secondary boycotts (a strike for the purpose of trying to force a company not to do business with another company which may be the subject of a "primary" strike), "common situs" picketing (Picketing by a labor union of an entire construction project as a result of a grievance held against a single subcontractor on the project), closed shops (A closed shop is one where an employer may only hire union members and all workers in the shop must remain union members in order to keep their jobs. This differs from a "union shop" where an employer may hire non-union workers, but the non-union workers must then either join the union or pay some portion of the union dues in order to stay employed.), and monetary donations by unions to federal political campaigns. It also required union officers to sign non-communist affidavits with the government. The Taft-Hartley act also put several restrictions on Union Shops and states were allowed to pass "right-to-work" laws that prohibited requiring people to either join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment. The act also gave the President power to request strikebreaking injunctions (from the courts) if an impending or current strike "imperiled the national health or safety."

Answer 3

The 1947 Taft-Harley Act, also known as the Labor-Management Relations Act, severely restricted the rights of the labor unions. The current President Truman vetoed the bill but both the senate and the house overruled his veto.

Answer 4

Important provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act:

Closed shop were banned throughout the United States. Initial hiring had to include those from outside the union.

"Right to Work" Laws & "Right to Work" states -- States could through their Legistatures ban "union shops." Union Shops, usually in the North, reguire all workers to join the union evenually or to at least pay dues, in the case of religious or moral objections to unions. United Auto Workers in Detroit, Michigan work in Union Shops, for example. Honda, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, etc., located in the South, hire people for assembly line rank and file jobs that have the right to form unions if they want to but will never be required to join nor will they ever be required as a condition of employment to pay dues.

Southerners have the "right-to-work" but if they need representation, the recognized bargaining union is required to represent non-union employees before management without predudice. In return, the Unions get exclusive bargaining rights for all employees of organized companies that vote to be represented by unions.

Strikes that are not in the public interest can be stopped temporarily by the President of the United States.

Rather than deal with violations of the law and the court - judititial system for labor matters, Taft-Hartley law establishes the NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board. Most violations of the Act are "unfair labor practices" rather than criminal matters. Both companies, unions and individuals can commit "unfair labor practices" violations, which are usually settled in practice by negotiation, mediation, or arbitration.

Answer 5

The Taft-Hartley Act was aimed at restricting the power of labor unions. President Harry S. Truman actually vetoed the act, however, his veto was overridden. It became law on June 23, 1947.

Answer 6

It weakened labor unions by restricting their actions in organizing. It gave the President more power over striking workers, and empowered companies in controlling labor agreements.

Answer 7

Limited the power of the labor union

Answer 8

to curb union power.