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Labor Unions During The 1930s

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It is a difficult task to challenge the social and economic policies of a country, especially one as patriotic as the United States during the post wartime Red scare era of the 1920 's. labor unions could account for this as they saw their membership fall from a high of 5 million in the 1920s to a mere 3.6 million by 1923(Rosenzweig 353). A combination of Supreme court decisions, Employer pressures and in many cases a lack of a strong leadership seen in previous individuals like Samuel Gompers contributed to this.Yet this trend surprisingly didn’t remain consistent as the great depression emerged around the 1930s.In fact they tripled there membership during the 1930s(Rosenzweig 429).They opened up, recruiting millions of women in their causes …show more content…

The "vague" policy allowed labor organizers to assert workers could make patriotic contributions by joining unions.Immediatley them impact could be seen as stated in Who build America,"By June 17, the day after Roosevelt signed the NIRA,80 percent of Ohio miners had signed union cars"(Rosenzweigh 430).Such a high burst in participation just displays how high of an impact government policies in encouraging union participation can have.The highly advertised act in the mining fields made these workers feel safe and empowered to join the re emerging labor movement.Yet it wasn 't enough the vagueness of the wording and the lack of enforcement mechanism permitted by the act lead Roosevelt to later implement the Wagner act. In order to encourage the growth of trade unions he passed this bills that did more than intended.As the book Who built America details,"The Wagner Act guaranteed workers the right to freely organize their own unions and to strike, boycott, and picket their employers(Rosenzweigh 454).This was exactly what all Middle and working class Americans needed to push them over.It had the stern language that the NIRA lacked and the backing of the National Labor Relation board to hear complaints.Because people thought there jobs were safer due to Roosevelt 's policies, they were more willing to join unions, leading to hike in

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Dating back to World War II the United States was immensely preoccupied with the war front. Their continuous worry about having enough ammunition put many people to work. Around the 1940s, many individuals were asked to work jobs they usually would not have been offered. There was a simple phase of false hope for the struggling families. Readers have had a chance to see the reality behind the era of World War II through the documents left behind in Chapter 13: Gender, Race, and Sexuality During World War II of Sharon Block’s book Major Problems in American History Volume II: Since 1865 and also Chapter 8: Origins of the Civil Rights Movement of Thomas Holt’s book Major Problems in African American History.

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In their opinion, the employees were not employed in interstate commerce, so their wages had nothing to do with it either (Document F). They also thought that the government had no right to give workers the right to self-organize and break the law (Document G). The authority of the federal government expanded, and FDR was, in a sense, abusing the power he had. Roosevelt’s administration increased the role of the federal government in the economy. His New Deal programs were more successful in empowering the government than lightening the effect of the Depression.

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Gross national product was up 34 percent, and unemployment had dropped from 25 percent to 14 percent. But Franklin Roosevelt faced criticism for increased government spending, unbalanced budgets, and what some perceived as moving the country toward socialism. Several New Deal acts were declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt retaliated by proposing to "pack" the court with justices more favorable to his reforms. Many in Congress, including some Democrats, rejected the idea.

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The National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act of 1935, strengthened labor unions and gave employees greater power at work by guaranteeing their ability to organize and bargain collectively. In order to guarantee bank deposits and stop bank runs, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was established by the Banking Act of 1933, generally referred to as the Glass-Steagall Act, which brought about extensive changes to the banking

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Back then, people were working in harsh and dangerous work environments and were paid low wages with long tedious hours. The equipment in the facilities was dangerous and being illegally used by the workers. Roosevelt saw the complaints the industries were getting from workers because of the harmful problems and wanted to make it better for them. He demanded that safe equipment was to be used and assured that people would be safe working in those conditions. Also during the coal strikes, coal miners were angry because of the bad working conditions and wanted their company to be heard.

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His actions were named the 1st and 2nd New Deal, in which his most immediate goal was to provide unemployed Americans with jobs to stimulate the economy with the help of government involvement. The Supreme Court of the U.S called the New Deal unconstitutional since it overexerted the power of the government. Roosevelt responded by proposing legislation to increase the size of the court to favor New Deal laws, also known as court packing (OI). This was seen as a threat to the system of checks and balances however was deemed necessary by many for the welfare of the country. Roosevelt was a much more active President than Hoover, he placed watches on banks to stop bad investments and a physical rehabilitation of the country to provide a better use of land all to prevent and stop a depression (Doc 5).

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The Wagner Act of 1935, also known as the National Labor Relations Act, guaranteed workers the right to organize and bargain collectively, strengthening labor unions and giving workers a greater voice in the

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The 1920s represented the post-suffrage era when women made drastic social and cultural changes that affected the American women way of life. Women began to seek more rightsand equal representation through changes in social values. However, women still observed their primary responsibility for caring for the household; and also depended on men for monetary support (Martin, 1926). The essay brings into perspective, various transformations that took place in the 1920s, resulting in the diversion of the traditional norms.

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Roosevelt's proposal was known as the Square Agreement and promised a balance between businesses and workers. One of the things that Roosevelt's predecessors have put before his predecessors for reform was his support for the American worker. Unlike the presidents who blindly supported the big business for employees, Roosevelt also believes in employee support. In 1902, United Mine Workers (umw) launched a strike. They required higher salaries and a reduced working day.

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The future of organized labor seemed bleak as the nation slid toward the depths of depression. However, that was all about to change. In the 1930s, labor unions gained a tremendous number of new members. The key factors that accounted for the

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For a long time, activists like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton have attempted to organize movements to stand up for the rights of women. Especially during the Great Depression, women who worked were vilified for taking jobs away from unemployed men. As the economy grew, men were still hired over women for industrial jobs, and women remained in charge of the household and their children. The bad living conditions and lack of space within cities drove people to suburbia, where there was more room and opportunity, particularly for women (Document 3). Opportunities of education were offered to many women and laborers to help productivity increase.

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Wartime gains created on behalf of organized labor, and government agencies whom showed active sympathy towards trade unions (such as the National War Labor Board), bothered several corporate superiors. Employers decided to destructively sponsor numerous new programs produced to improve worker health and determination (while also preventing unionization), in order to defy the influence and charm of unions and collective bargaining. In the 1920s welfare capitalism became a significant key point in corporate tactics. “The American Plan”, an antiunion campaign, was formed by large corporations as a substitute to switch unionism and class antagonism linked with European labor associations. Campaign leaders called for the open shop, which was defended by influential business lobbies, making it clear that no employee would be forced to join a union.

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