Major Issues in Labor-Management Relations in the US Before 1930

HRMT 420 Unit 2 Discussion Board
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HRMT 420 Unit 2 Discussion Board
Part 1
The lack of sufficient labor laws to protect workers was one of the major issues in labor-management relations in the US before 1930. The history of labor management relations began in the 1960s with the industrial revolution (Walton et al., 2000). This period was accompanied by mass migration of workers from rural to urban areas, resulting in a labor surplus and intense competition between companies (Walton et al., 2000). Despite the high labor supply, there were insufficient labor laws to protect workers, allowing employers to exploit workers. Involvement in union activities would result in dismissal.
The unavailability of effective laws weakened labor-relations management, reducing its ability to protect workers from exploitation and advocating for improved working conditions. Low wages and unsafe working conditions continued to dominate workers' problems. Acting on the premise that employers and workers shared common interests, the National Labor Union (NLU) opposed strikes (Walton et al., 2000). It relied on political actions to achieve its goals. However, these political actions were ineffective. Therefore, the lack of adequate labor laws coupled with the NLU’s opposition to strikes weakened labor-management relations in the US.
During this period, the industrial revolution significantly pushed for reforms and labor movements to respond to poor working conditions and the exploitation of workers. The industrial revolution enabled many workers to unite and fight for safer conditions, increased wages, and better working hours (Drummonds, 2019). It influenced the establishment of the first national union, the Knights of Labor, that dominated labor-management relations by planning political actions and conducting arbitration with employers on behalf of workers. The reforms brought about by the industrial re...