The Role of Government in Union Growth

Public policy has always played a critical role in union growth. Historically, marked changes in union mem bership have been associated with prounion legislation. Simi larly, unions have failed to expand even under favorable eco nomic conditions—such as those during the 1920's—in the face of government hostility. However, the stagnation of union growth in the past decade is not attributable to the effects of the Taft-Hartley Act. Taft-Hartley can be seen as a minor amendment of the protection extended to organized labor by the Wagner Act. The impact of political change has been felt not so much by changes in National Labor Relations Board doctrine as in the varying administrative practices of the NLRB's independent General Counsel. The present role of the NLRB is one of substituting a legal forum for economic warfare in an atmosphere which is hostile to continued union growth. The source of this inimical climate, basically, is the existence of persistent unemployment in the recent past. Al though favorable legislation is essential to the expansion of unionism and perhaps even more so to its survival, in its present form and with its present numbers, it is insufficient by itself to lead to further growth.