USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Hunt, (1842), American legal case in which the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the common-law doctrine of criminal conspiracy did not apply to labour unions. Until then, workers’ attempts to establish closed shops had been subject to prosecution.

Detailed explanation-2: -More than three decades later in 1842, a high court in Massachusetts overturned that precedent in Commonwealth v. Hunt, which declared that workers do, in fact, have a right to organize and strike.

Detailed explanation-3: -Significance of the Ruling With Commonwealth, individuals had been given the right to organize into trade unions. Previous to this case, unions were seen as conspiracy organizations. However, Shaw’s ruling made it clear that they were in fact legal.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the pivotal 1937 Jones and Laughlin case, the Supreme Court saved the Act in a 5-to-4 decision upholding its constitutionality.

Detailed explanation-5: -Why was the ruling in Commonwealth v. Hunt important for workers? Because barely 5, 000 workers were members of labor unions, and, by this time, more than 20, 000 workers were participating in strikes for improved working conditions and wages.