Labor & Judicial Heaches Unions Get Stronger and the Supreme Court Enters the fray

Granting New Rights to Workers Wagner Act (1935) Recognized the right of workers to form and join unions Gave workers the right to engage in collective bargaining Created National Labor Relations Board Body to consider and investigate workers’ complaints Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) Established minimum wage (25¢/hour) Established maximum workweek (44 hours) One of the more controversial measures of the New Deal

Tensions within the Labor Community AFL fails to represent majority of workers Focus on skilled workers Organized by trade rather than by shop Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) formed John L. Lewis, head of the United Mine Workers split off from the AFL to found national union for unskilled laborers CIO members lower-paid, more ethnically/racially diverse than AFL Between 1930 and 1940, Union membership more than doubled to appx. 9 million

Workers Use Newfound Power United Auto Workers (UAW) Strike (Dec. 1936) Newly formed CIO member Sit-down strike at GM plant in Flint Primary Source Quote, pg. 409 Strike lasted 44 days until GM agreed to recognize UAW

Opposition from Supreme Court SCOTUS strikes down New Deal programs 1935: NIRA ruled unconstitutional 1936: key provisions of the AAA struck down “Horse-and-buggy” days Composition of SCOTUS Elderly conservative

FDR’s Court-Packing Scheme (1937) FDR proposes he be able to appoint a new justice for every member over 70 (6) Justice Owen Roberts becomes swing vote Justice Van Devanter retires Court-Packing proposal rendered moot Politically damaging to Roosevelt

Downturn Weakens New Deal Supporters With the economy improving, FDR administration cuts back on gov’t spending Unemployment surges back above 20% Democratic Majority cut in both houses No longer strong enough to dictate