"Happy anniversary, right-to-work, but it's time to go"
Fifty years ago, the right-to-work movement in this country underwent a near-death experience. Organized labor and a powerful Democratic coalition during the Johnson administration joined in support of a bill to repeal Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, a statutory provision which allows states to prohibit compulsory financial support to labor unions. President George Meany of the AFL-CIO viewed Section 14(b) as the major threat to the labor movement, and he made repeal his top legislative priority in 1964.
President Johnson pledged in his 1965 State of the Union address to eliminate Section 14(b). Labor achieved a significant victory when the House passed H.R. 77, its version of repeal, by a 221–203 vote on July 28, 1965. The legislative effort came to an unsuccessful end in October when Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Ill.) led a filibuster against the bill, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.) had to withdraw the proposal.
In the years following the resuscitation of 14(b), 25 states have adopted right-to-work laws, including, most recently, the industrial states of Michigan and Wisconsin. There is compelling evidence that right-to-work laws are driving union decline in this country. In turn, union decline is linked to rising inequality of wealth.
Despite the falsity of its claims and the damage it does to workers, right-to-work marches on with the aid of well-financed campaigns. Politicians like Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) bow and scrape at the altar of corporate wealth, and any legislation attempting to curb the power of capital faces long odds. The best chance of repeal combines a joint federal-state strategy with meaningful consequences for politicians who refuse to support a repeal bill.
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/labor/252620-happy-anniversary-right-to-work-but-its-time-to-go
I knew that Taft-Hartley passed in 1947 over President Truman's veto. The effort in 1965 by LBJ to eliminate Section 14(b) was news. We came close to success as it passed the House only to be filibustered (by a republican of course) in the Senate.
The importance of Taft-Hartley and 'right-to-work' in the decline of unions and the consequent rise in income and wealth inequality cannot be exaggerated.