The National War Labor Board (NWLB) was an

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of the United States government established on April 8, 1918 to mediate labor disputes during World War I.

History

The board was appointed by

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Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. It was composed of twelve members, including five representatives each from business and the American Federation of Labor (AFL), as well as co-chairs Frank P. Walsh and former president William Howard Taft. The decisions of the NWLB generally supported and strengthened the position of labor. Although it opposed the disruption of war production by

strikes Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

, it supported an eight-hour day for workers, equal pay for women, and the right to organize unions and bargain collectively. Although the NWLB had no coercive enforcement power, Wilson generally ensured compliance with its decisions. In general, the relative strength of organized labor in America grew substantially during the war. Union membership almost doubled after the formation of the NWLB. Of note, membership in the AFL rose from two million in 1916 to over three million in 1919. By the end of the decade, fifteen percent of the nonagricultural work force was unionized. In all, the board ruled on 1,245 cases. Almost ninety percent of them sprang from worker complaints, and five skilled trades accounted for 45 percent. Of the cases, 591 were dismissed, 315 were referred to other federal labor agencies, and 520 resulted in formal awards or findings. In reaching decisions, the board was aided by an office and investigative staff of 250 people. Approximately seven hundred thousand workers in one thousand establishments were directly affected. The board was disbanded on May 31, 1919, some six and a half months after the end of the war.

Membership

The twelve members of the board were:Encyclopedia of U.S. labor and working-class history, Volume 1 By Eric Arnesen, page 985 *William Howard Taft * Frank P. Walsh, first head of the

Commission on Industrial Relations The Commission on Industrial Relations (also known as the Walsh Commission) p. 12. was a commission created by the U.S. Congress on August 23, 1912, to scrutinize US labor law. The commission studied work conditions throughout the industrial Unit ...

* Frank Hayes, president of the

United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...

*Thomas Savage of the International Association of Machinists, now the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers * William Hutcheson, leader of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America *Victor Olander of the

International Seamen's Union The International Seamen's Union (ISU) was an American maritime trade union which operated from 1892 until 1937. In its last few years, the union effectively split into the National Maritime Union and Seafarer's International Union. The early yea ...

*Thomas A. Rickert, president of the United Garment Workers of America *L.F. Loree, president of the Delaware and Hudson Railway *C. Edwin Michael, former official of the

National Association of Manufacturers The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...

*Loyall A. Osborne, vice president of Westinghouse *W.H. van Dervoort, an

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manufacturer *B.L.T. Worden, head of the

Electric Boat Company Electricity is the set of physics, physical Phenomenon, phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagne ...

Following the resignation of Walsh as one of the co-chairs, he was replaced by his assistant Basil M. Manly.

Footnotes

External links

Papers of the National War Labor Board, 1918–1919 at Cornell University ILR Library Kheel Center

Robert Cassanello, "National War Labor Board", ''St. James Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide: Major Events in Labor History and Their Impact'', 2003, as hosted at Encyclopedia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:National War Labor Board (1918-1919) Government agencies established in 1918 1918 establishments in the United States 1919 disestablishments in the United States Labor relations boards Defunct independent agencies of the United States government History of labor relations in the United States Agencies of the United States government during World War I

History

Membership

See also

Footnotes

Further reading

External links