National+Labor+Relations+Act+9

=National Labor Relations Act of 1935=

The NLRA, also known as the Wagner Act, was sponsered by New York Senator Robert F. Wagner.

The NLRA was one of the first reforms of the second New Deal. It was put in place to improve labor conditions. This legislation gained President Roosevelt's endorcement at the very last minute; he did not take part in writing it and it did not particulary appeal to him. This act significantly expanded the governments power to intervene in labor relations. The NLRA reestablished the NIRA provision of collective bargaining. The Federal Government again protected the right of the workers to join unions and engage in collective bargaining with employers. The NLRA prohibited unfair labor practices such as threatening workers, firing union members and interfering with union orgainizing.

The act also set up the **National Labor Relations Board**. The NLRB would hold elections for workers to see if they wanted union representation and would hear the workers testimonies about unfair practices. It would also oversee union certification and would arrange meetings with unions and their employers. Lastly, it would investigate violations of the law by employers or unions. Unlike the National Industrial Recovery Act, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, this act was help up by the Supreme Court in important trails.

Since the establishment of the NLRA, the NLRB has processed more than 900,000 unfair labor practice charges and conducted in excess of 360,000 sercret-ballot elections. The NLRB handles approximately 40,000 case each year.