History of Yellow Dog Contract
The history of the ‘yellow dog contract’ can be broken down into several key periods:
1. Inception in the 1870s: The ‘yellow dog contract’ began as a written pact, often referred to as an “Infamous” or “Iron-Clad” document, which included an anti-union commitment. By signing this document, an employee pledged not to join their trade union. Starting in 1887 with New York, sixteen states criminalized the act of an employer compelling their employees to promise not to join a union.
2. Late 19th Century and Early 20th Century: During this period, these anti-union proclamations lost their significance. Workers no longer felt obligated to honour them, and union organisers paid little attention to them. By the early 20th century, only the coal mining and metal industries continued to use yellow dog contracts. Moreover, it was not the employee’s union membership that was forbidden, but their involvement in activities that necessitated union membership.
3. 1910 Strike: In 1910, the International United Brotherhood of Leather Workers on Horse Goods organised a national strike. However, the strike was unsuccessful, with many employers demanding both written and verbal assurances from their employees that they would leave and remain out of unions as a condition of returning to work.
4. Spring of 1921: The term “yellow dog” first appeared in print in the spring of 1921 in publications aimed at labour union members. The editor of the United Mine Workers’ Journal echoed the sentiments of many when he remarked, “This agreement has been well named. It is yellow dog for sure. Signing such a document diminishes a man to the status of a submissive servant, devoid of power, surrendering all his constitutional and legal rights to his employer. It’s akin to reducing oneself to the stature of a lowly canine.
5. 1932 Norris-LaGuardia Act: By 1932, the Norris-LaGuardia Act had prohibited yellow dog contracts in the private sector. However, they were still permitted in the public sector, including federal jobs, until the 1960s. This marked the end of the history of the yellow dog contract, as all such contracts from that point forward were deemed illegal and unenforceable.