Reluctant realists: the Pacific Northwest lumber industry, federal labor standards and union legislation during the New Deal
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: History, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Knight, Simon A.
issued: 2008-10-11T21:10:17Z
issued: 1993
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The relationship between government and business during the New Deal can best be understood as one based on mutual dependence rather than endemic hostility. This is demonstrated with reference to the Northwest lumber industry and its response to New Deal labor standards and labor union legislation. The Northwest lumber industry during the 1920s and 1930s was beset by the problems of overproduction and cut throat competition which plagued much of American industry during the Great Depression. Industry leaders strove for ways in which to regulate a fiercely competitive marketplace. Attempts to foist higher production standards on marginal competitors through the promotion of voluntary trade associations failed because of the absence of enforcement mechanisms within the associational structure. The National Recovery Administration (NRA) similarly failed to provide a disciplined framework for competition in the region because the federal government failed to fulfill its role as an enforcement agent, although the experience of the NRA did suggest to the industry the potential benefits of stabilizing the marketplace through the regulation of labor costs, which were such a significant and vulnerable item in the business calculations of lumber operations. The problem of enforcement, however, remained. Labor unions had a record under the NRA and in the coal and clothing industries as an effective regulator of labor standards, but the memory of radical unionism in the early lumber industry combined with a concern for managerial prerogatives to forestall any voluntary support on the part of Northwest lumber leaders for unionisation in the region. The elevation of unions under the National Labor Relations Act, however, prompted versatile lumber executives to use the empowered unions for their own regulatory purposes. Never entirely comfortable with the potential costs of strong unions, the Northwest lumber industry turned to the federal regulation offered under the Fair Labor S…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/2591
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format: application/pdf
note: RELUCTANT REALISTS: THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LUMBER INDUSTRY,FEDERAL LABOR STANDARDS AND UNION LEGISLATION DURING THENEW DEALbySimon Andrew KnightB.A., Oxford University, 1991A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTSFOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTSinTHE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES(Department of History)We accept this thesis as conformingto the required standardTHE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIAAugust 1993© Simon Andrew Knight, 1993In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanceddegree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make itfreely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensivecopying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of mydepartment or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying orpublication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my writtenpermission.(Signature) Department ofThe University of British ColumbiaVancouver, CanadaDate 2fo Aucivs-r tqc13DE-6 (2/88)ABSTRACTThe relationship between government and business during the New Deal can best beunderstood as one based on mutual dependence rather than endemic hostility. This isdemonstrated with reference to the Northwest lumber industry abd its response to New Deallabor standards and labor union legislation. The Northwest lumber industry during the1920s and 1930s was beset by the problems of overproduction and cutthroat competitionwhich plagued much of American industry during the Great Depression. Industry leadersstrove for ways in which to regulate a fiercely competitive marketplace. Attempts to foisthigher production standards on marginal competitors through the promotion of voluntarytrade associations failed because of the absence of enforcement mechanisms within theassociational structure. The National Recovery Administration (NRA) similarly failedto provide a disciplined framework for competition in the region because …
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 1993-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0098831
language: eng
degree discipline: History
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/2591