ABSTRACT
In 1932 an active unionist and printer with no experience in public affairs defeated an incumbent for a seat on the board. Teachers’ unions were not a new phenomenon. The Bloomington Trades and Labor Assembly (BTLA) traced its history back to 1891, when local trade unions came together to form a unified voice. In 1932 federal legislators also removed one of the blocks educators faced when they outlawed the “yellow-dog contracts” used to force teachers to promise not to join a union. In 1933 federal legislators reversed their post–World War I antiunion stance and recognized workers’ rights to organize. Then in 1935, they strengthened this right with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act, which added penalties for private employers that refused to recognize unions. This legislation helped create a context in which the BTLA could turn its attention to the previously stalled effort at organizing unions.
