Discuss the Wagner Act of 1935

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Wagner Act (also called the National Labor Relations Act, or NLRA) was the first major piece of federal legislation adopted explicitly to encourage the formation of labor unions. Many supporters of this act recognized that a number of labor problems were caused by gross inequality of bargaining power between employers and employees. They hoped that the Wagner Act would bring about industrial peace and raise the standard of living of U.S. workers. The act was to accomplish those goals by facilitating the formation of labor unions as a powerful collective voice for employees and by providing for collective bargaining between employers and unions as a means of obtaining the peaceful settlement of labor disputes. The key section of the Wagner Act is Section 7. This section provides that:
(e)mployees shall have the right to self-organization, to join, form or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection.
Employees' Section 7 rights are protected through Section 8(a) of the act, which prohibits specific "employee unfair labor practices." Section 9 of the act sets forth the procedures, including the secret ballot election, by which other exclusive employee-bargaining-unit representative (union representative) is chosen. The final important portion of the Wagner Act authorized an administrative agency, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), to interpret and enforce the act. It also provided for judicial review in designated federal courts of appeal.