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| Long title | An Act to amend the National Labor Relations Act, to provide additional facilities for the mediation of labor disputes affecting commerce, to equalize legal responsibilities of labor organizations and employers, and for other purposes. |
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| Nicknames | Sparkman-Hartley Act |
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The Labor Management Relations Act of 1946, better known as the Sparkman–Hartley Act, is a federal law in the United States which limits the power of labor unions.
John Sparkman (D-AL) and Fred A. Hartley Jr. (R-NJ), key proponents of the Sparkman-Hartley Act
Background[]
In the years following the Great Depression, labor unions would gain power on a federal and state level. During the later years of the Herbert Hoover Presidency, the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932 would pass and gave more power and protections to non-violent Unions. Progressive Governors such as Franklin D. Roosevelt would also pass similar state-level legislation to strengthen union power in 1935. As unions grew more powerful, so did the ability for Unions to mobilize on larger scales, much to the disdain of conservative factions within the United States Congress.
Following a massive strike wave throughout 1945-1946, conservative Democrats and Republicans would begin proposing legislation to limit the power of labor unions. Democrat John Sparkman of Alabama would propose a version of what would become the Sparkman-Hartley Act in the Senate in late September of 1946, followed by Republican Fred Hartley drafting similar legislation in the House in early October 1946. A unified bill would come into existence by November of 1946 and would pass the 79th Congress on November 23rd, 1946.
Provisions + Impact of the Bill[]
The bill and sections within the bill were framed as an effort to protect American international and interstate commerce, which strikes posed a threat to. The bill would be restrictive towards Jurisdictional strikes, barred Unions from being allowed to donate money to political candidates, and outlawed closed shops which were agreements that only allowed for companies to hire people who were members of labor unions.
Upon passing, the impact of the bill would weaken union power throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. The repeal of the Sparkman-Hartley Act would become part of the Progressive Union's party platform in 1947. Hartley, the sponsor of the House bill, would become Secretary of Labor in 1947 despite fierce opposition from labor unions and the progressive union.
See also:[]
Sources Cited[]
- Mineshema-Lowe, Dale. “Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.” Www.mtsu.edu, mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1050/taft-hartley-act-of-1947#:~:text=The%20Taft-Hartley%20Act%2C%20known%20officially%20as%20the%20Labor-Management. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.
- Wikipedia Contributors. “Taft–Hartley Act.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Jan. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft%E2%80%93Hartley_Act#Effects_of_the_act. Accessed 13 Jan. 2022.
- Nickthenick2, Icelandicwriters. “Presidency of Robert A. Taft (No New Deal).” Alternative History, althistory.fandom.com/wiki/Presidency_of_Robert_A._Taft_(No_New_Deal). Accessed 13 Jan. 2022.