The Sherman Antitrust Act

The first unions were organized during the economic depression of the 1820s.

The Sherman Antitrust Act, enacted in 1890, was initially applied to any activity that interrupted the free flow of commerce. Applied to unions to stifle their activity.

The Clayton Act, enacted in 1914 with good intent toward labor, exacerbated the problem by strengthening the application of the Sherman Act against labor.

A yellow-dog contract is a stipulation mandated by the employer that the employee will not join a union, as a condition of continued employment. Yellow-dog contracts were upheld by the courts in strict opposition to the legal principle of noninterference with contractual business relations.

Yellow-dog contracts were in effect until the passage of the Railway Labor Act of 1926 and the Federal Anti-Injunction Act of 1932. The Railway Labor Act of 1926 outlawed yellow-dog contracts by prohibiting an agreement of

The first unions were organized during the economic depression of the 1820s.

The Sherman Antitrust Act, enacted in 1890, was initially applied to any activity that interrupted the free flow of commerce. Applied to unions to stifle their activity.

The Clayton Act, enacted in 1914 with good intent toward labor, exacerbated the problem by strengthening the application of the Sherman Act against labor.

A yellow-dog contract is a stipulation mandated by the employer that the employee will not join a union, as a condition of continued employment. Yellow-dog contracts were upheld by the courts in strict opposition to the legal principle of noninterference with contractual business relations.

Yellow-dog contracts were in effect until the passage of the Railway Labor

Act of 1926 and the Federal Anti-Injunction Act of 1932. The Railway Labor Act of 1926 outlawed yellow-dog contracts by prohibiting an agreement of The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was enacted in 1935 to ensure the right of employees to organize and participate in unions without fear of reprisals from employers. In 1935, with the passage of the NLRA, also known as the Wagner Act, unions organized with the power of enforcement. Certified bargaining agreements were forthcoming. Company attempts at domination were stymied with the creation of the National Labor Relations Board, with investigatory and enforcement power being placed at its discretion.

The Taft–Hartley Act, also known as the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947: Workers who did not want to join the union could not be discriminated against. This act delineated unfair labor practices by unions. One such practice prohibited was the use of coercion by unions to force workers to join.

Many businesses have now taken advantage of lower living costs and cheaper office space outside the United States. With the emergence of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), more jobs, especially those in manufacturing, Many businesses have now taken advantage of lower living costs and cheaper office space outside the United States. With the emergence of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), more jobs, especially those in manufacturing, are moving to Mexico and overseas. The power of the unions has been crippled.

Collective bargaining is the negotiation process undertaken by a union on behalf of its members with the management of an organization with the intent of entering into a contract after the resolution of labor issues. The contract, known as the collective bargaining agreement, is binding on all union members. The advantage of collective bargaining is that the union has greater bargaining strength than an individual employee would have in attempting to negotiate the best possible deal.