Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Department of Labor and Industry Strike Data Files, 1949-1952. Accession 23847, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219

Acquisition Information

Transferred, Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, Richmond, Virginia, 8/11/1952.

Biographical/Historical Information

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry was charged with ensuring compliance of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) or Wagner Act of 1935, the subsequent changes known as the Taft-Hartley amendments of 1947, and the subsequent legislation enacted by the Virginia General Assembly. The original NLRA established the National Labor Relations Board which was given the power to investigate charges of unfair labor practices, and also gave workers a forum within which to vote for union representation. The NLRA was passed after a series of violent strikes, with the hope that additional violence could be avoided by allowing workers to bargain collectively with new levels of protection, such as the legalized right to strike. Under the NLRA, employers could no longer fire an employee for participating in union activities.

The NLRA was unsuccessfully attacked by Congress many times until the passage of the Labor-Management Relations Act, or Taft-Hartley Act, in 1947. This legislation significantly altered United States labor laws. Most significantly, the amendments gave state governments the right to pass what are known as "right-to-work" laws. These laws could include requiring notification of intention to strike, and giving state officials the authority to intervene if a strike were to cause an emergency situation. In response to these amendments, the Virginia General Assembly passed two acts during its 1947 extra session. The first law, (Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly), proclaimed Virginia a "right-to-work" state within which unionization could not be required for receiving or retaining a job. The second law, (Chapter 9 of the Acts of Assembly), became known as the Virginia Public Utility Labor Relations Act. This law was created to prevent interruptions in the operation of certain public utilities resulting from labor disputes. Lockouts, strikes and work stoppages were outlawed because utilities served a public interest, and were essential to the health and safety of the citizens. This act also allowed the governor to take possession of any public utility threatened with a strike.

The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry was responsible for monitoring the state's overall labor situation. Commissioner of Labor Edmond M. Boggs served as a liaison between employers, unions, the Governor, and sometimes the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The Commissioner was called to duty if and when companies operating under a collective bargaining agreement or contract were in dispute about changes to the agreement. Each case directed to the Department of Labor and Industry was recorded on a Public Utility Labor Relations Docket and given a number. The Commissioner monitored each situation until a settlement was agreed upon, or he notified the Governor if talks broke down and state intervention was needed.

Scope and Content

Contains correspondence, dockets, notifications, arbitration agreements, and newspaper articles that document public utility labor disputes in Virginia resulting from changes to federal and state labor laws.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series: