by Charles Peterson

Created on: May 23, 2009

Around the turn into the 20th century basic worker rights were being negotiated. The American Federation of Labor had been started only recently in 1881 as an amalgam of craft unions. Workers got better pay, reduced hours, and anti-child labor.

Union power blossomed in the mid 20th century. In 1926 the Railway Labor Act solidified the playing field. That is unions had the power to talk with management. Fair representation was guaranteed on both sides. In 1935 the National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act, spelled out unfair labor practices for an employer when it comes to the self-organization of employees and a requirement to bargain collectively with employee representatives.

In 1947 the Labor Management Relations Act, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, swung the pendulum the other way and put demands on the unions to be fair to the employees, as well as limiting the power to strike.

The percentage of workers in unions has dropped from a high of 35 percent in 1945 to 12 percent in 2008. Along the way the role of government to set fair labor practices as the law of the land on a level playing field has taken over the momentum of workers' rights. Discrimination based on sex, race, religion, or national origin was outlawed in US America in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Congress passed the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967. The Americans with Disabilities Act outlawed discrimination against those with physical or mental impairment in 1990.

Besides discrimination the US American government has helped substantially to make the worker playing field more fair with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Not only can workers get sick due to employer neglect, but they can die especially in high risk jobs like mining. OSHA really helped workers a lot, and one would think that employers are glad to comply with OSHA, seeing as they must, because one would have to be extremely callous to seek profit over the bodies of one's employees.

Some other help has been given with respect to wimon (oe) who work and are pregnant, as well as those who must care for family members. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed in 1978. The Family And Medical Leave Act was passed in 1993.

Discrimination against partner gender preference has been done so far on a company by company basis. As anti-gay feelings fizzle out we might be able

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