Taft–Hartley Act

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The Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 is a United States federal law that restricts the activities and power of labor unions.

The act, still active, was sponsored by Senator Robert A. Taft and Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr., and became law despite U.S. President Harry S. Truman's veto on June 23, 1947.[1] Labor leaders called it the "slave-labor bill"[2] while President Truman argued that it was a "dangerous intrusion on free speech", arguing that it would "conflict with important principles of our democratic society".[3]

The Taft–Hartley Act amended the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA; informally the Wagner Act), which Congress passed in 1935. The principal author of the Taft–Hartley Act was J. Mack Swigert, of the Cincinnati law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister.

References[change | change source]

  1. Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Harry S. Truman: "Veto of the Taft-Hartley Labor Bill.," June 20, 1947". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  2. "National Affairs: Barrel No. 2". Time. June 23, 1947. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  3. Harry S. Truman: Veto of the Taft-Hartley Labor Bill