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Great Southwest Railroad Strike
Knights of Labor go on strike at Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific Railroads. Workers cited unsafe conditions and unfair pay. Eventually it failed due to lack of commitment. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
The first major piece of legislation that affected labor unions was the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. The law forbade any "restraint of commerce" across state lines, and courts ruled that union strikes and boycotts were covered by the law. -
Coppage vs. Kansas
A case based on US labor law that allowed employers to implement contracts, called yellow-dog contracts, which forbade employees from joining unions.The case was decided in the era prior to the Great Depression, when the Court invalidated laws that imposed restrictions on contracts, especially those of employment. The liberty of contract was viewed as a fundamental right that could be abridged only in extreme circumstances. Abridgements violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. -
National Labor Relations Act
Part of the New Deal, the NLRA gives workers the legal right to form unions. Also requires employers to bargain with the union over wages, hours, and working conditions. The NLRB enforces this law -
Steel Strike
During 1959, steel industry profits were skyrocketing. Noticing this, the nations steelworkers, represented by the United Steelworkers of America, demanded higher wages. At the same time, management was working against the union to lose a contract clause that protected worker jobs and hours. This conflict resulted in a 500,000-worker strike, the effects of which were felt throughout the industry. In the end, the union received wage increases and preserved the contract clause. -
Postal Strike
Increased dissatisfaction with wages, working conditions, benefits and management led the postal workers in New York City to strike. With mail and parcel delivery at a standstill, Nixon ordered the National Guard to replace the striking workers a measure that proved ineffective. The strike was so effective that within two weeks negotiations took place. The unions demands for higher wages and improved conditions were largely met, and they were granted the right to negotiate. -
Abood vs. Detroit Board of Education
Case maintaining of a union shop in a public workplace. Public school teachers in Detroit had sought to overturn the requirement that they pay fees equivalent to union dues. They found that non-members may be assessed agency fees to recover the costs of "collective bargaining, contract administration, and grievance adjustment purposes" while insisting that objectors to union membership or policy may not have their dues used for other ideological or political purposes. -
UPS Workers Strike
largest strike of the 1990s was lead by 185,000 UPS Teamsters. They were looking for the creation of full-time jobs rather than part-time, increased wages and the retention of their multiemployer pension plan. These workers gained major support from the public and eventually had all of their demands met. UPS, however, lost more than $600 million in business as a result of the ordeal. -
Locke vs. Karass
Court case that the Constitution permits the local chapter of a labor union to charge a "service fee" to non-members to cover non-local litigation expenses. The case expanded on and clarified the earlier Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Association, which permitted such service fees for non-political activities but did not reach a consensus on whether "national" expenses were chargeable. -
Affordable Care Act
The ACA extends health care to Americans that did not have insurance coverage before the law. It includes a Bill of Rights for the health care insurance consumers and mandates free coverage of certain health care tests. It is enforced by states, but if not handled correctly, then federal government can step in. -
Harris vs. Quinn
a US labor law case of the Supreme Court regarding provisions of Illinois state law that allowed a union security agreement. Since the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibited the closed shop, states could still choose whether to allow unions to collect fees from non-union members since the collective agreements with the employer would still benefit non-union members. The Court that Illinois's Public Labor Relations Act, which permitted the union security agreements, violated the First Amendment.
