48-52

The textile industry particularly benefited from South Carolina’s long standing hostility to labor unions. In the 1920s, Northern investors moved their mills to South Carolina in order to cut costs in the face of foreign competition (8-6.3). In the 1930s, textile workers were unsuccessful in their attempt to improve wages and working conditions through general strikes (8-6.4). Despite New Deal legislation protecting labor unions, the state legislature passed a bill in the late 1940s that established South Carolina as a ‘right to work’ state. Right to work laws supported the interests of management over the workers by outlawing the closed shop.

Although globalization contributed to the loss of textile jobs in South Carolina, globalization has also meant foreign investment in South Carolina. These investments, in turn, attract workers. Workers were attracted to the Sunbelt when industries in the Rustbelt, suffered from foreign competition and downsized.

The environmental hazards to beaches, natural areas, and wildlife as a result of tourism brought to the coast, has ironically led to an effort to protect the natural resources of South Carolina making the state a tourist destination. Universities and city boosters have provided an ever expanding array of cultural offerings designed to improve the quality of life and attract businesses to the state.