Taft-Hartley Act

Taft-Hartley Act, the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947, sponsored by Senator Robert A. Taft and Representative Fred Hartley. It was passed over the veto of President Harry S Truman and amended the Wagner Act. The act defined “unfair labor practices” and banned boycotts, sympathy strikes, and strikes in interunion disputes. A federal arbitration service was set up, and states were empowered to prohibit union shop agreements. A further controversial provision was presidential power to seek an 80-day injunction against a strike in cases of “national emergency.”