On this day in Labor History the year was 1935.
That was the day the United States Supreme Court unanimously declared the National Industrial Relations Act unconstitutional.
The act had been passed just two years before, as the centerpiece of President Franklin Roosevelt’s plan to combat the Great Depression.
By the time Roosevelt took office nearly a quarter of the nation’s workforce was unemployed.
To combat this staggering unemployment the Act called for $3.3 billion for public works projects.
It also sought to regulate industry to better promote “fair competition.”
Businesses that adopted the act’s codes could display a poster emblazoned with a blue eagle.
Each poster declared, “We do our part.”
At first there was positive public feedback for the plan.
Hugh S. Johnson, one of the primary authors of the Act was even named Time magazine’s man of the year for 1933.
But soon businesses began to complain about the many regulatory codes associated with the act.
The act was intended as an emergency plan, and was set to expire after two years. But it did not make it that far.
The Schechter Poultry Corporation was found to be in violation of several codes.
They claimed the codes were unconstitutional and company fought the violations all the way to the United States Supreme Court and won a unanimous decision.
But for those in the labor movement, the most important part of the act was Title 1, section 7, part a.
Although the designation might sound boring, its message was powerful.
It read in part that: “employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.”
With the Act’s passage union membership grew.
For example, the Amalgamated Clothing Worker’s union doubled from 60,000 to 120,000 between 1933 and 1934.
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Labor History in 2:00 brought to you by the Illinois Labor History Society and The Rick Smith Show