Several factors contributed to private sector union decline and public sector union growth.
Labor unions in the United Stated began forming in the 1800s and since then they have gone through diverse working environments which at some stages increased or decreased their union membership. In the private sector the huge impact that led to the decline of union membership was largely felt when Congress passed the Taft-Hartley of Labor Management Relations Act of 1947. The public sector union membership started growing in the 1960s and 1970s, when the baby boomers entered the workforce.
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibited closed shops, it gave states the right to outlaw closed and union shops by passing right to work laws, and banned supervisors and foremen from joining a union. During strikes, it allowed that employers may permanently replace union workers. This law was enacted after the employers complained about union abuses. President Truman to that Act as the “slave-labor bill” because it was passed over his veto. This Act law heavily affected …show more content…
The employers, some Republican Party leaders and Congress through its passage of some Acts contributed to these unions’ decline because they did not appreciate collective bargaining. Powerful unions threatened employers because they will demand high salaries, conducive working conditions and racial discriminations at work. Republicans helped employers to suppress unions and discourage new employees from joining unions. Surprisingly, when unions decline in the private sectors, union memberships increased in the public sector. Several factors influenced this growth. Will public sector unions maintain this growth in the near future? Will the decline in union membership be reversed in the private
Labor unions in the United Stated began forming in the 1800s and since then they have gone through diverse working environments which at some stages increased or decreased their union membership. In the private sector the huge impact that led to the decline of union membership was largely felt when Congress passed the Taft-Hartley of Labor Management Relations Act of 1947. The public sector union membership started growing in the 1960s and 1970s, when the baby boomers entered the workforce.
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibited closed shops, it gave states the right to outlaw closed and union shops by passing right to work laws, and banned supervisors and foremen from joining a union. During strikes, it allowed that employers may permanently replace union workers. This law was enacted after the employers complained about union abuses. President Truman to that Act as the “slave-labor bill” because it was passed over his veto. This Act law heavily affected …show more content…
The employers, some Republican Party leaders and Congress through its passage of some Acts contributed to these unions’ decline because they did not appreciate collective bargaining. Powerful unions threatened employers because they will demand high salaries, conducive working conditions and racial discriminations at work. Republicans helped employers to suppress unions and discourage new employees from joining unions. Surprisingly, when unions decline in the private sectors, union memberships increased in the public sector. Several factors influenced this growth. Will public sector unions maintain this growth in the near future? Will the decline in union membership be reversed in the private