Government involvement in labor relations has been varied in form over the history of the country. In the nineteenth century, the government often sided with management as a matter of course, protecting the rights of owners and refusing to admit that the labor force had any right to organize for the protection of its rights. After a century of struggle over this issue, Congress settled the matter with the National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act, in 1935. The underlying conception of the Wagner Act was affirmed in subsequent legislation, notably the Taft-Hartley Act of 1949 and the Landrum-Griffin changes of 1959. Morris (1987) writes: "Although there may be room for wide debate as to the extent of the influence which labor legislation has on shaping the contours of a nation's industrial relations system, it cannot be denied that the legislative impact in the United states has been substantial" (p. xiii). The National Labor Relations board developed out of this legislation and has become an important player in government efforts to mediate labor disputes and to administrate changes in labor laws, aspects of wage and price controls, and related matters.
Zollitsch and Langsner (1970) are concerned with the development of wage controls and with the issue of compensation as it developed during the first 150 years of U.S. history. It was during this period, from 1776 to 1942, when the United States converted from an agricultural to an industrial nation: "It is marked by the Industrial Revolution, the growth and strength of labor unions, and the beginning of the field of management" (p. 30). The Industrial Revolution took place during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a period of transition from the cottage-trade system to the industrial era. Along with this transition came new conceptions of ownership, productivity, and economy, all upsetting the early master-journeyman relationship. The invention of ma...