The Rise and Challenges of Unionism in the Mid-20th Century

From the enactment of the Taft-Hartley Act to corruption scandals, unions faced significant milestones and obstacles during the 1950s.

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, enacted by the Republicans, established the conservative Republican approach to labor relations for the next eight decades, restoring voluntarism to union membership, subjecting union internal operations to government scrutiny, and limiting the damage done to consumers and the economy from industrial action.
Despite opposition from organized labor and a veto from President Truman, the Taft-Hartley Act survived and formed the administrative frame for labor relations that continues through the present day.
During the 1950s, unionism reached its peak but also faced challenges such as corruption and infiltration by organized crime, particularly in powerful unions like the Teamsters.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations merged in 1955, forming the modern AFL-CIO. However, corruption led to the Teamsters, the largest labor union in the country at the time, being expelled from the federation.
Despite occasional alignments with the GOP, the Teamsters Union has backed Democrats exclusively since the issuance of a consent decree subjecting the union to strict government oversight.