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References, opposition and criticism
The '''Taft-Hartley Act''' (1947), or Taft-Hartley Labor Act, was perhaps the single greatest legislative achievement of the 20th century, passed by a [[Republican]] [[Congress]] in override of President [[Harry Truman]]'s veto. The Taft-Hartley Act single-handedly ended the dire and growing problem of strikes involving millions of workers after [[World War II]], and saved [[capitalism]] from the unions in the [[United States]]. Ever since the Act's passage, [[Democrats]] have unsuccessfully attempted to repeal it.
The '''Taft-Hartley Act''' (1947), or Taft-Hartley Labor Act, was perhaps the single greatest legislative achievement of the 20th century, passed by a [[Republican]] [[Congress]] in override of President [[Harry Truman]]'s veto. The Taft-Hartley Act single-handedly ended the dire and growing problem of strikes involving millions of workers after [[World War II]], and saved [[capitalism]] from the [[labor union]]s in the [[United States]]. Ever since the Act's passage, [[Democrats]] have unsuccessfully attempted to repeal it.
The Act itself was written by the [[conservative]] legal scholar [[Robert Taft]], who was then the Majority Leader in the [[U.S. Senate]] and a three-time presidential candidate. It was sponsored by Taft and also by long time U.S. Representative Fred Hartley.
The Act itself was written by the [[conservative]] legal scholar [[Robert Taft]], who was then the Majority Leader in the [[U.S. Senate]] and a three-time presidential candidate. It was sponsored by Taft and also by long time U.S. Representative Fred Hartley.
The Act achieved the following:
The Act achieved the following:<ref name="counterpunch">Cockburn, Alexander. "How Many Democrats Voted for Taft-Hartley?" September 6, 2004. ''Counterpunch''. http://www.counterpunch.org/2004/09/06/how-many-democrats-voted-for-taft-hartley/</ref>
*bans unfair union practices such as secondary strikes
*bans unfair union practices such as secondary strikes
*authorizes the [[President]] to seek a federal court injunction to require an eighty-day cooling-off period for a strike threatening a national interest.
*authorizes the [[President]] to seek a federal court injunction to require an eighty-day cooling-off period for a strike threatening a national interest.
*prohibited unions and corporations from making independent expenditures in support of or opposition to federal candidates
*prohibited unions and corporations from making independent expenditures in support of or opposition to federal candidates
*gave federal courts jurisdiction to enforce collective bargaining agreements
*gave federal courts jurisdiction to enforce [[collective bargaining agreement]]s
==Opposition and Criticism==
Organized labor in the U.S., including the [[AFL]] and the [[CIO]], were predictably critical of the act because it significantly weakened labor unions. President Truman called it a "slave labor bill."<ref name="counterpunch"/> Critics have argued that the decline of organized labor in the private sector, initially caused by the Taft-Hartley Act and continued later by the anti-union policies of [[President Ronald Reagan]], has been a major contributing factor to increased income inequality in the U.S.<ref>Noah, Timothy. "The United States of Inequality: Entry 6." September 12, 2010. ''Slate''. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_great_divergence/features/2010/the_united_states_of_inequality/the_great_divergence_and_the_death_of_organized_labor.html</ref>
==See Also==
==See Also==
== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[category:Labor Unions]]
[[category:Labor Unions]]
[[Category:New Deal]]
[[Category:New Deal]]