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Essay on National Labor Relations Act

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History
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), also known as the Wagner Act, was enacted in Congress in 1935 and became one of the most important legacies of the New Deal. Prior to the passage of the NLRA, employers had been free to spy on, interrogate, discipline, discharge, and blacklist union members. Reversing years of federal opposition, the statute guaranteed the right of employees to organize labor unions, to engage in collective bargaining, and to take part in strikes. The act also created a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to arbitrate deadlocked labor-management disputes, guarantee democratic union elections, and penalize unfair labor practices by employers. The law applied to all employees involved in the interstate …show more content…

More commonly, the union will obtain authorization cards from 30% of the employees of a company. At this stage the union can now petition the National Labor Relations Board to have an election. For a union to be organized the employees must represent an appropriate bargaining unit. The appropriate bargaining unit must have a mutuality of interest among the workers. This interest is determined by job duties, job similarity, skill levels, work site proximity and no management employees.
Once these criteria are met an election occurs to determine if employees want to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board oversees the election to make sure that a true secret vote is secured. If a majority of employees, which is one vote over 50%, agree to join the union then the NLRB certifies the union as the bargaining representative.
Management's Responsibilities
Members of management of a company whose employees are attempting to organize cannot, by law, join a union. Once preliminary organizing begins and during the election campaign, employers have certain rights and responsibilities, as mandated by the NLRB. The employer may lawfully limit campaign activities that occur on company property, if it has a legitimate reason to do so. Employers may also limit places where solicitation may occur, limit time during which solicitation may take place, and limit access to the workplace by any outsider. Employers may limit distribution of union

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