The Wagner Act, also known as the National Labor Relations Act, protects private sector workers’ ability to form unions and engage in business with such groups. It prevents legal retaliation against workers for entering into collective agreements or for striking. The law does not cover railway workers, agricultural workers, and government office workers. The National Labor Relations Board enforces the law and oversees important businesses. Opponents argue that the law limits the rights of owners and managers. The Taft-Hartley Act was passed in 1947 to monitor the activities of unions.
The Wagner Act is a federal law in the United States that provides certain protections for certain private sector workers regarding their ability to form unions and engage in business with such groups. Also known as the National Labor Relations Act, it was signed into law in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is loosely associated with the Roosevelt New Deal launched in the same era. In the most basic sense, the Wagner Act prevents legal retaliation against workers for entering into collective agreements or for striking. It is named after the bill’s original sponsor, Senator Robert F. Wagner.
The restrictions on the Wagner Act essentially revolve around certain types of workers. The government had already passed the Railway Labor Act, which provided protections for the rights of all workers in this important sector. Similarly, agricultural workers are not included in the law. One of the major controversies that has continued to be associated with the law is the fact that no local, state, and federal government office workers are protected by any of the provisions of the Wagner Act. Since then, many lawsuits and additional laws have been passed against these employees.
In order to enforce mandated laws, the government established the National Labor Relations Board. This organization was given the opportunity to hear allegations on behalf of the workers when it came to the actions of the companies. He also has the right to conduct investigations. One of the main responsibilities was the oversight of important businesses such as factories and the industrial sector, which the government considered essential to the recovery effort from the Great Depression.
Because the Wagner Act was passed during the height of the Great Depression, many opponents have pointed to the fact that it would limit the rights of owners and managers in dealing with their workers, which they say would negatively impact the chances of recovery. He questioned the role of government in the economy, especially those who believed in the laissez faire concept of relationships. Prior to this era, many companies used force to prevent their employees from organizing. Similarly, police forces have occasionally been used as authorized by the government itself to break up strikes.
Attempts to remove the Wagner Act from federal law have been made regularly within the United States Congress. In 1947, the Taft-Hartley Act was passed, establishing yet another agency that monitored the activities of the unions themselves. Since this amendment, the government has become more involved in all aspects of the workplace.
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