Yellow-dog Contract (Noun)
Meaning
A labor contract (now illegal) whereby the employee agrees not to join a trade union.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, employers frequently used yellow-dog contracts to prevent workers from organizing and forming unions.
- Companies would often require new employees to sign a yellow-dog contract as a condition of employment, thereby limiting their ability to exercise their labor rights.
- The passage of the Norris-LaGuardia Act in 1932 outlawed the use of yellow-dog contracts in the United States.
- Before its prohibition, the yellow-dog contract was a powerful tool used by employers to suppress labor organizing and maintain a non-union workforce.
- By signing a yellow-dog contract, workers waived their right to engage in collective bargaining and other labor-related activities.