The National Labor Relations Act of 1935

("The Wagner Act")



The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, known popularly as the Wagner Act, was New Deal legislation designed to protect workers' rights to unionization. It created the National Labor Relations Board, which still functions to enforce the National Labor Relations Act. The NLRB conducts secret-ballot elections to determine whether employees want union representation and investigates and remedies unfair labor practices by employers and unions.

The statute guarantees the right of employees to organize and to bargain collectively with their employers or to refrain from all such activity. Generally applying to all employers involved in interstate commerce--other than airlines, railroads, agriculture, and government--the Act implements the national labor policy of assuring free choice and encouraging collective bargaining as a means of maintaining industrial peace. Through the years, Congress has amended the Act and the Board and courts have developed a body of law drawn from the statute.

More information about the National Labor Relations Board.

The full text of the National Labor Relations Act (in .pdf format; download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.)

Source: http://www.nlrb.gov/facts.html, 1998.