The 1960s

Class 1

Administrative

• Reading for next time – Teacher Unionism and Cesar Chavez

Review

• Merger of the AFL and the CIO in 1956

• Emergence of anti-labor statutes– Taft-Hartley– Landrum-Griffin

Today

I. Racial Issues in the Work Place

II. Evolution of Strikes

III. Automation

IV. Employee Health and Safety

I. Racial Issues at Work

• By 1960s US had a clear dual labor market

• Parts of the economy that were unionized were growing the most slowly or shrinking in terms of employment

• Millions worked in restaurants, laundries and garment sweatshops

Racial Issues at Work

• Only after 1960 did government begin to attack discrimination with any seriousness

• By 1961 only about 20% of collective bargaining agreements had anti-discrimination clauses

• Merged AFL-CIO admitted two railway brotherhoods with formal racial exclusions

• Civil Rights Act of 1964

Minorities and Union Organizing

• Hospital and health care workers

• Agricultural workers

• Construction unions and their hiring halls

• Minority caucuses formed in most major industrial unions

AFL-CIO Support for Civil Rights

• AFL-CIO supported civil rights movement

• Also supported racial integration

• Cost much of the southern labor movement many of its members

• 1971 Griggs v. Duke Power

II. Evolution of strikes

• Changed pattern of strikes

• Exemplified by the 1959 steel strike

• Violence of earlier time periods subsided in most industries

• Unions failed in political efforts to repeal or modify Taft-Hartley

III. Automation

• The great automation debate

• Cause of much of the conflict of that period

IV. Employee Health and Safety

• Traditionally law dealt just with the consequences

• Federal Government now began to talk about taking responsibility for prevention of occupational injuries and accidents

• Mine Safety and Health Act

• Occupational Safety and Health Act

Next Time

• Growth of public employee unionism

The 1960s

Class 2

Excluded Workers

Administrative

• Reading for next time on the 1970s and 1980s – none for next time but all to be done by the second class

Review

• Dual labor market at the beginning of the 1960s

• Government beginning to take responsibility for equal treatment in the labor market

• Changed pattern of industrial conflict

• Government taking responsibility for industrial health and safety

Today

I. Labor Movement in 1960

II. Exclusion of industry and occupational categories

III. Growth in unionism for some of those categories

I. Labor Movement in 1960

What groups of industries and occupations were heavily unionized in 1960?

• Mass production industries: automobiles, steel, tires, electronics

• Construction: including relatively unskilled laborers

• Transportation: railroads, truck drivers, sailors, airlines

• Miners

II. Exclusion of Industry and Occupational Groups

What industries and occupations were largely untouched by unionism?

• White collar, professional, managerial occupations

• Public sector employees• Wholesale and retail trade• Finance and Insurance• Service industries• Agriculture

Exclusion

• Managers

• Professionals

• Farm workers

III. Growth of Unionism in New Categories

• Farm Workers

• Development of United Farm Workers in California

• Affiliated with AFL-CIO

• The Grape and Lettuce Boycotts

Growth of Unionism

Teachers

• What groups were involved in attempting to unionize teachers?

• How were the approaches of these two groups different?

Growth of Unionism

• Teacher unionism part of growth of unionism by public employees

• Changes in legal situation

• New York– Condon-Wadlin– Taylor Law (1967)

Arguments for and against public sector bargaining

• Arguments against– Sovereignty Doctrine– Workers too likely to win strikes – Civil Service already exists

• Arguments in favor– Government workers should not be denied

rights available to other workers– Government as an employer acts much like

other employers

Growth of Unionism

• Public sector went from one of least to one of most unionized sectors of the economy

• Teachers are now widely organized

• Collective Bargaining in school districts is absolutely the norm

• Teacher unions are among the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington and state capitals

Next Time

• Begin discussion of 1970s and 1980s