Public Sector Unionism
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Efforts to organize public workers in PA resulted in Acts 111 in 1968 and 195 in 1970. Tens of thousands of public employees joined unions. The movement to unionize public workers began in the 1930s, was legislatively restricted in 1947, & given partial recognition in 1957.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
The long campaign to give Pennsylvania's public employees a voice culminated in Act 111 of 1968 and Act 195 of 1970, which opened collective bargaining to tens of thousands of state and local workers. That victory capped a struggle stretching back to the 1930s — one restricted by legislation in 1947 and only partly recognized in 1957 — before the reforms of the late 1960s finally took hold.
Why it matters
Public-sector unionism reshaped the relationship between government and the people who staff it, part of a national shift that made teachers, police, and civil servants a major force in the American labor movement.
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Related events
- · Pennsylvania Act 111 (1968)
- · Pennsylvania Act 195 (1970)
Themes & tags
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