alternatehistory.com
Chapter 2: Labor Pains
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"I am certainly sorry that we can't try Lewis in your court. I am sure he would get a fair trial and then be hanged."
- Harry Truman to his friend, Circuit Judge Sherman Minton.
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"Truman found the Senate quite amiable to his foreign policy proposals. Minority Leader Vandenberg was himself a internationalist, and opposition to Communism was strong, so he had both the Democrats and quite a few Republicans on board. This meant that, when it came to foreign affairs, Truman had a wide berth to work with. Robert Taft led an undaunted isolationist faction, but found himself steamrolled by the Vandenberg supported Democratic leadership."
- Harry Truman: Abroad, by Alonzo Hamby
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HT: Those bastards. Damn em all. David, don't worry, they'll have hell to pay.
DL: Thank you for your support Mr. President, but with the…
HT: Oh you'll be approved. Kenneth is a good man, but those leeches have smeared you, and I'm gonna smear em right back. They're just doing it for personal satisfaction, no real policy about it.
DL: I think that it would be best for the Atomic Energy Commission…
HT: Not to be smeared as Communist.
DL: I think that Americans can see that I am not a Communist.
HT: They will after I'm done.
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"Truman's unnecessarily hostile tone during the nomination of David Lilienthal was seen as crass by many Washington observers, but it geared the President up for a fight over unions that would consume the rest of his career.
The Majority of Americans during the late 40's agreed that Unions held too much power. Truman probably agreed with this assessment, but he needed Union support to have any chance to be reelected, so he kept his cards close to his chest.
Meanwhile House Republicans churned out their own piece of "Labor Reform", which came mainly from New Jersey Congressman Fred Hartley. The bill was harsh, ending jurisdictional strikes, certain Union campaign contributions, closed shops and other controversial union practices. Hartley's Bill passed the House with flying colors, and went to the Senate. Though the bill was intended to be a shot across the bow to Labor it actually managed to pass the Senate on the backs of Conservative Democrats. Truman vetoed it, automatically.
The House Voted to override in favor of the Hartley Bill, again with Southern Democratic support. But the Senate could not get to the 64 votes needed to override the veto, largely due to the work of Majority Leader Barkley[1]. Conservatives decried Truman to "buckling to Union pressure" while previous ambivalent Unions found themselves supporting Truman.
Meanwhile Robert Taft began to craft another Labor Bill, designed to win over the 15 Democrats the Republicans would need if they hoped to override Truman's inevitable veto. Taft, somewhat reluctantly, hacked off several provisions from the Hartley Act. He dropped the ban on political contributions but retained the jurisdictional strike position. In an effort to appeal to the Democrats who had not yet supported the bill he replaced the ban on closed shops with a provision the returned that power to the states.
This proved enough.
The House would, after some fuming by firebrands, pass a virtually identical bill. The bill would find its way to Truman's desk under the official title "National Labor Relations Act of 1947". Truman found this bill much more appealing then the Hartley Bill, but still felt compelled to veto it. The House again overrode the Veto overwhelmingly. Truman and the Senate leadership worked relentlessly to try and strong arm votes, but to no avail. The Taft Bill became law over the screaming objections of the President.
'I'll be damned' said the President. 'If I ever trust McKeller with anything this important again.'"
- Labor: A Documentary
_____
HT: AUSTEN!
WA: Mr. President?
HT: YOU JUST ABOUT PULLED THE RUG FROM UNDER ME!
WA: I'm not su…
HT: The Speech, you fool, the speech.
WA: For the UN?
HT: Yes, that damn speech. It's a complete reversal of my policy. And you just planned to give it out.
WA: I had assumed Clifford has informed you.
HT: He did, not even 48 hours before you were set to give the damn thing.
WA: You know as well as I do that Partition isn't going to work like its supposed to. In order to keep the Arabs on our side against the Reds we've got to take a nuanced position.
HT: I've got millions of Jewish voters who look at your "nuanced position", sneer, and vote for Dewey or Taft. Edit the speech. Something nice and noncommittal for the delegates.
WA: Sir, are you sure? This could have ramifications on our Mideast policy?
HT: I'm sure.[2]
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1: 18 Democrats voted to override Taft-Hartley IOTL, more then is needed to get the bill over the hump even here. However with their party in control Senators feel the pressure a bit more, leaving it just short.
2: The End Result here is that Truman saves a bit of face on the Israel Independence Issue. But nothing substantial is changed on the ground in the Levant.
_____
"I am certainly sorry that we can't try Lewis in your court. I am sure he would get a fair trial and then be hanged."
- Harry Truman to his friend, Circuit Judge Sherman Minton.
_____
SickleStar45 said:
TUL said:
SickleStar45 said:
CrimsonConfederate said:
_____
"Truman found the Senate quite amiable to his foreign policy proposals. Minority Leader Vandenberg was himself a internationalist, and opposition to Communism was strong, so he had both the Democrats and quite a few Republicans on board. This meant that, when it came to foreign affairs, Truman had a wide berth to work with. Robert Taft led an undaunted isolationist faction, but found himself steamrolled by the Vandenberg supported Democratic leadership."
- Harry Truman: Abroad, by Alonzo Hamby
_____
_____
HT: Those bastards. Damn em all. David, don't worry, they'll have hell to pay.
DL: Thank you for your support Mr. President, but with the…
HT: Oh you'll be approved. Kenneth is a good man, but those leeches have smeared you, and I'm gonna smear em right back. They're just doing it for personal satisfaction, no real policy about it.
DL: I think that it would be best for the Atomic Energy Commission…
HT: Not to be smeared as Communist.
DL: I think that Americans can see that I am not a Communist.
HT: They will after I'm done.
_____
"Truman's unnecessarily hostile tone during the nomination of David Lilienthal was seen as crass by many Washington observers, but it geared the President up for a fight over unions that would consume the rest of his career.
The Majority of Americans during the late 40's agreed that Unions held too much power. Truman probably agreed with this assessment, but he needed Union support to have any chance to be reelected, so he kept his cards close to his chest.
Meanwhile House Republicans churned out their own piece of "Labor Reform", which came mainly from New Jersey Congressman Fred Hartley. The bill was harsh, ending jurisdictional strikes, certain Union campaign contributions, closed shops and other controversial union practices. Hartley's Bill passed the House with flying colors, and went to the Senate. Though the bill was intended to be a shot across the bow to Labor it actually managed to pass the Senate on the backs of Conservative Democrats. Truman vetoed it, automatically.
The House Voted to override in favor of the Hartley Bill, again with Southern Democratic support. But the Senate could not get to the 64 votes needed to override the veto, largely due to the work of Majority Leader Barkley[1]. Conservatives decried Truman to "buckling to Union pressure" while previous ambivalent Unions found themselves supporting Truman.
Meanwhile Robert Taft began to craft another Labor Bill, designed to win over the 15 Democrats the Republicans would need if they hoped to override Truman's inevitable veto. Taft, somewhat reluctantly, hacked off several provisions from the Hartley Act. He dropped the ban on political contributions but retained the jurisdictional strike position. In an effort to appeal to the Democrats who had not yet supported the bill he replaced the ban on closed shops with a provision the returned that power to the states.
This proved enough.
The House would, after some fuming by firebrands, pass a virtually identical bill. The bill would find its way to Truman's desk under the official title "National Labor Relations Act of 1947". Truman found this bill much more appealing then the Hartley Bill, but still felt compelled to veto it. The House again overrode the Veto overwhelmingly. Truman and the Senate leadership worked relentlessly to try and strong arm votes, but to no avail. The Taft Bill became law over the screaming objections of the President.
'I'll be damned' said the President. 'If I ever trust McKeller with anything this important again.'"
- Labor: A Documentary
_____
HT: AUSTEN!
WA: Mr. President?
HT: YOU JUST ABOUT PULLED THE RUG FROM UNDER ME!
WA: I'm not su…
HT: The Speech, you fool, the speech.
WA: For the UN?
HT: Yes, that damn speech. It's a complete reversal of my policy. And you just planned to give it out.
WA: I had assumed Clifford has informed you.
HT: He did, not even 48 hours before you were set to give the damn thing.
WA: You know as well as I do that Partition isn't going to work like its supposed to. In order to keep the Arabs on our side against the Reds we've got to take a nuanced position.
HT: I've got millions of Jewish voters who look at your "nuanced position", sneer, and vote for Dewey or Taft. Edit the speech. Something nice and noncommittal for the delegates.
WA: Sir, are you sure? This could have ramifications on our Mideast policy?
HT: I'm sure.[2]
_____
1: 18 Democrats voted to override Taft-Hartley IOTL, more then is needed to get the bill over the hump even here. However with their party in control Senators feel the pressure a bit more, leaving it just short.
2: The End Result here is that Truman saves a bit of face on the Israel Independence Issue. But nothing substantial is changed on the ground in the Levant.
- King of the Uzbeks
- Word Count: 850