Reference no: EM133420632

Case Study: When looking at history, it is important to consider continuity and change over time. In terms of labor relations, it is important to compare Roosevelt's relationship with labor to that of his immediate successor as president, Harry S Truman. When Truman took office in 1945 upon FDR's death, he encountered an economy that was heading toward the post-war era of economic uncertainty. As a result of wartime inflation, consumer prices rose at a much faster rate than wages. During the war, workers had accepted government controls on wages and agreed not to strike. After, they would no longer be put off. When employers refused to raise wages, labor unions called for strikes. In 1945 and 1946, millions of steelworkers, railroad workers, and others walked off their jobs, demanding higher wages and better conditions.

Labor unrest and strikes disrupted the nation's economy. When miners went on strike in 1946, many Americans feared that dwindling coal supplies would cause the economy to grind to a halt. At about the same time, a strike by railroad workers caused a total shutdown of the nation's railroads, which were vital to the economy. Alarmed by the labor unrest and unable to build the same warm feelings FDR had with union leaders, Truman pressured the striking miners and railroad workers to go back to their jobs. In May 1946, he threatened to draft them into the army if they did not return to work. The president insisted he had the right to take such steps to keep vital industries operating. Truman finally forced striking miners back on the job by having the government take over the mines. At the same time, however, he persuaded the mine owners to grant many of the workers' demands. Truman also pressured railroad workers to return to work.

Many Americans blamed Truman and the Democratic Party for the nation's economic problems. In the congressional elections of 1946, the slogan "Had Enough?" helped Republicans win control of both houses of Congress. The new Republican Congress moved quickly to create its own plans for the nation. Having rejected Truman's program for reform, the Republicans now set up proposals to enact a program that would limit government spending, control labor unions, reduce government regulation of the economy, and reverse policies adopted in the 1930s under FDR's New Deal.

For many Republicans in Congress, the most important problem facing the nation was labor unrest and the growing power of labor unions. Conservative Republicans favored big business and wanted to limit the power of unions. In the spring of 1947, Congress introduced the Taft-Hartley bill. This bill limited the actions workers could take against their employers. It outlawed the closed shop, a workplace that hires only union members. It also allowed the government to temporarily stop any strike that endangered public health or safety. This provision aimed to prevent any future strikes like those of the miners and the railroad workers the year before. Union members and their leaders sharply criticized the Taft-Hartley Act, calling it a "slave labor bill." Although Truman opposed recent strikes, he also knew that the Democrats needed the support of labor. Truman vetoed the act, but the Republican-controlled Congress overrode his veto.

Now, it's time to make little research! Complete the short essay assignment below and submit it to your teacher for grading.

Question: Research the Wagner Act and the Taft-Hartley Act. How were they different, and what was different about their goals and aims?