Sherman Anti-Trust Act Against Labor Unions

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The government further supported this theory by applying the Sherman Anti-Trust Act against labor unions. The Sherman Anti-trust Act was originally passed to break up monopolies rather than unions, but it was invoked mainly against unions to hurt their power. The justification for this was explained as it was stated “combinations are condemned, not only when they take the form of trusts, but in whatever form found, if they be in restraint of trade”. The failure of the unions’ strikes, along with the involvement of the federal government in these affairs proved there was a negative attitude of unions from the government. The violence and anarchy that was associated with socialist unions, spread the common “anti-union” sentiment, not just within …show more content…
In 1935 the Wagner Act was established, which provided more federal protection for unions, by legalizing union membership in the U.S and giving unions the power to compel employers to recognize and bargain with legitimate unions. In 1947 the Taft-Hartley Act, designed to amend a lot of the Wagner Act, was passed. The Taft-Hartley Act made closed shops, workplaces, (where being part of a union was a condition to being hired) illegal, and allowed states to pass “right-to-work” laws, prohibiting union shops (in which workers would have to join a union after being hired). It also allowed the president to issue an order that any labor union strikes which threatened national safety or health, could not be carried out. Although many laborers tried to repeal the act, the Taft-Hartley Act stayed in effect until 1959 when the Landrum-Griffin Act amended some of its features. The Act damaged weaker unions and made it more difficult to organize workers who had never been part of a labor union before- esp. women, minorities, and most workers in the south. Although the popular sentiment toward labor unions changed from a positive to negative one in the 1930’s and 40’s, by the …show more content…
CEO and executive compensation is flourishing, while the middle class suffers from layoffs, unemployment and stagnant wages. Support of labor unions has greatly increased since the establishment of the first labor unions however current union agendas still include increasing wages, raising the standard of living for the working class, ensuring safe working conditions, and increasing benefits for both workers and their families. At the start of the labor movement, almost all middle-class Americans were anti-union, while today most liberals and democrats tend to be pro-union, while republicans and conservatives are usually more anti-union. Even with this growth of support from democrats, there are still many Americans who don’t see the benefits of labor unions. As recently as August, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey said that the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers union, deserves a “punch in the face” and called it the “single most destructive force in public education.” Christie claims that the teachers union only cares about higher wages and benefits, but not about the children they are educating. Christie has often disagreed with public employee unions, but he has a particularly poor relationship with teachers unions, frequently protesting their pensions and health care benefits. He has previously called these unions “political thugs,” and he has had
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