United States 1935

Synopsis

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, known popularly as the Wagner Act, was New Deal legislation designed to maintain industrial production by preventing labor strife. It protected the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively with their employers or to refrain from all such activity. The act generally applied to all businesses involved in interstate commerce except agriculture. The enforcement arm of the act was the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which conducted secret-ballot elections to determine whether employees sought union representation. The NRLB also investigated and remedied unfair labor practices by employers and unions. Shortly after the adoption of the statute, several companies challenged its constitutionality, including the Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. This steel company, which had discharged workers because of their union activity and to discourage membership in the union, challenged the act as an attempt...