National Labor Relations Act

In July 1935, the United States Congress enacted the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in order to regulate labor-management relations in organizations involved in interstate commerce. Through the NLRA, the executive and legislative branches sought to equalize bargaining power between employers and employees to protect the rights of workers who chose to organize and bargain collectively.

Commonly known as the Wagner Act, the NLRA was enacted during the Great Depression, a time of high unemployment, labor management strife, and a stagnant economy. Historically, the federal government had not supported the growth of labor unions or collective bargaining over wages and working conditions. However, President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress were sympathetic to the plight of the unions and working class as a result of the severely depressed ...