Suchergebnisse

In light of the current crisis afflicting the labor movement, historian Joseph McCartin revisits the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act) eight decades after its passage and the Supreme Court ruling that upheld its constitutionality. That act constituted a "momentous shift in the nation's jurisprudence," but making it a living reality required American workers' efforts on the ground. In this Up for Debate roundtable, McCartin poses critical questions: How should we evaluate the legacy of the Wagner Act? What did it mean in its time? How did it shape the course of US labor history? What significance does it hold for us in our present context? McCartin and three respondents—Craig Becker, Dorothy Sue Cobble, and Katherine Stone—address these questions and debate their responses, offering both historiographical assessments and historically informed suggestions about the labor movement's path forward.

On December 12, 2015, nearly 2,000 people crowded into the Minneapolis Convention Center for a remarkable event organized by Minnesotans for a Fair Economy, a statewide network of unions and community groups. "the People's Congress," as the event was called, convened activists from across the state in an effort to "establish a collective vision for social, racial and economic justice." As their invitation explained, participants aimed to "dismantle systems of racial discrimination and oppression; reclaim our democracy; reclaim our economy; reclaim our government"; and "build the power of workers and workers' organizations."