Social Conflict Racism and Labor Relations Essay

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Labor-capital confrontations had been long brewing since the dawn of the industrial age and the start of urbanization. As the owners of the means of production amassed capital, wealth became concentrated into the hands of the few. Labor movements emerged both in Europe and in the United States, transforming the political, economic, and social landscapes of nations. The environment in which labor-capital confrontations developed must therefore be understood within a broader historical context. Market liberalization and globalization led to increased opportunities for labor exploitation, in stalwart industries such as steel and other heavy manufacturing. At the same time, exploitation of workers led to worker unrest, strikes, and protests. The need for stability soon trumped the drive for unbridled financial gain, and the government of the United States finally helped bridge the gulf between labor and capital through a series of laws and commissions such as the National War Labor Board. Yet the excuse of national security during the war also allowed capitalists to gain the ultimate advantage over labor, causing unions to weaken irreparably.

Even after decades of achieving legitimacy in political, economic, and social circles, labor unions and organizations like the AFL/CIO failed to win long-term legitimacy. Wartime complicated the role of labor in American politics, too. Capitalist industry stalwarts in the steel and munitions manufacturing sectors profited from a sense of urgency fueled by wartime propaganda, and wartime realities. To promote industrial development rapidly and without impediments, the government gradually supported capital over labor, yet not without significant compromises that helped labor to achieve some of its goals like the instatement of minimum wage laws and the protection of collective bargaining rights.

After World War One, President Roosevelt helped create greater harmony between labor and capital even prior to the New Deal set of programs.[footnoteRef:1] The National Industrial Recovery Act and similar legislation allowed industry to prosper and continue to promote economic growth and capital gain, while simultaneously addressing the concerns of workers. The National Industrial Recovery Act was also instrumental in re-establishing anti-trust laws that had somewhat weakened during wartime. Depression-era fears hounded both labor and capital during this critical stage of American history. Labor fought for basic rights including collective bargaining and minimum wages; while capital recognized the need to rapidly bolster the American economy in the midst of ongoing international turmoil.

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Both labor and capital recognized the need to work together and harmonize both goals and processes in order to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes such as improved economic growth and national security. [1: Glen Jeansonne. Transformation and Reaction. Waveland, 1994, chapter 10.]

The battle between labor and capital waged on, though. Gains for labor, like the National Industrial Recovery Act, the Railway Labor Act, and the Norris La Guardia Act, were met with considerable anti-labor backlash. Against unionization of systematically disempowered groups, pro-capital activists fought to keep agro-business from being protected under federal labor rights laws, thereby potentially excluding countless numbers of disenfranchised and poor African-American agricultural workers. Groups like the National Association of Manufacturers fought hard to stymie the efforts of the AFL.[footnoteRef:2] On the other hand, the Industrial Relations Committee and other special conferences part of the New Deal helped to create an environment whereby labor-capital relations could be harmonized through mutually beneficial legislation. [2: Glen Jeansonne. Transformation and Reaction. Chapter 10.]

Ultimately, though, business would triumph over labor. Widespread, rampant, and unequivocal corruption in labor unions did not serve the best interests of the workers those organizations were founded to protect. The collusion between "big labor" and politics created an environment in which both capital and labor were playing to a lowest common denominator of corruption. Smaller unions designed to protect the rights of workers in specific industries, such as mining or textiles, occasionally helped to raise awareness for the need to create less hostile working conditions. Unfortunately, capital fought back vehemently and often demonstrated willingness to use brute force to retain their stronghold on politicians. The fight between labor and capital became ugly. Even though the AFL and CIO gained some ground during World War Two, business prevailed because of the War Labor Disputes Act and other measures that placed the interests of national security over the needs of workers. In the immediate post-war period, labor unions suffered tremendous defeats due to lack of public support, perceived corruption in labor, and a view that American values and ethos were more rooted in capitalism than in the more socialist tenets underwriting labor rights movements. The Labor Management….....

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