Why did union membership rise in the 1930s?

1 Answer
Aug 5, 2017

The Democratic government of Franklin Roosevelt supported the Labor movement. As well some labor organizations began to focus on unskilled labor.

Explanation:

The New Deal policies of FDR and favorable legislation helped the Union movement. Unions traditional power base was skilled labor and craftsman had previously been uninterested in organizing unskilled labor. Their membership fell sharply in the early 1930s.

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and its precursors, organized unskilled labor and the new laws on collective bargaining (1933 and 1935) helped them. The growth of Unions and Union membership in this sector increased greatly.