Today in Labor History June 23, 1947: The anti-worker Taft-Hartley Act was passed, overriding President Harry Truman’s veto. It came on the heels of the largest strike wave in U.S. history. When World War Two ended, inflation soared and veterans flooded the labor market. As a result, frustrated workers began a series of wildcat strikes. Many grew into national, union-supported strikes. In November 1945, 225,000 UAW members went on strike. In January 1946, 174,000 electric workers struck. That same month, 750,000 steel workers joined them. Then, in April, a national coal strike began. 250,000 railroad workers struck in May. In total, 4.3 million workers went on strike. It was the closest the U.S. came to a national General Strike in the 20th century. And in December 1946, Oakland, California did have a General Strike, led by women retail workers. It was the last in U.S. history, and the action the most prompted Congress to take action on behalf of their corporate bosses.
Taft-Hartley rolled back many of the labor protections created by the 1935 Wagner Act. It weakened unions in numerous ways, including the banning of the General Strike, and all forms of protest in support of workers at other companies, effectively prohibiting solidarity actions. It also allowed states to exempt themselves from union requirements. Twenty states immediately enacted anti-union open shop laws. There hasn’t been a General Strike in the U.S. since then.