National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) (1935)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (29 U.S.C. § 151 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
The NLRA was enacted to protect employees’ rights to organize, form unions, engage in collective bargaining, and take collective action, including strikes, in order to balance the power between employers and workers.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Before the NLRA, union activity was often suppressed through injunctions and antitrust laws. The 1926 Railway Labor Act gave some protections, but coverage was limited. The NLRA provided nationwide labor rights for most private-sector employees.

4) Overreach or Proper Role?
Supporters saw it as necessary to correct decades of labor suppression and unrest. Critics argued it tilted too far toward unions. Later amendments, like the Taft-Hartley Act (1947), reined in some union powers.

5) Who or What It Controls

• Private-sector employers and employees (except for some exempt categories: agricultural workers, domestic workers, supervisors, federal/state employees)
• Labor unions (through regulation of practices and bargaining obligations)

6) Key Sections / Citations

• 29 U.S.C. § 157 (employee rights to organize and bargain)
• 29 U.S.C. § 158 (unfair labor practices)
• 29 U.S.C. § 160 (National Labor Relations Board enforcement)

7) Recent Changes or Live Controversies

• Ongoing debates over “joint employer” rules, union election procedures, and the scope of protected concerted activity
• Supreme Court cases continue to shape the balance between labor rights and employer property/management rights
• Recent efforts to expand or strengthen labor rights through the proposed PRO Act

8) Official Sources

• U.S. Code – Title 29, Chapter 7
• National Labor Relations Board

• Employment
• Labor
• Unions
• Collective Bargaining
• Workers