* Please note:This section is written for employees who work for employers under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act. If you are a public-sector employee (ie., someone who works for either federal, state, or municpal government) or an employee in the airline or railroad industry, you are likely NOT under the jursidiction of the NLRA.
An Overview of Major Legislation Regarding Unions in the Workplace
The Railway Labor Act—In 1926, the United States Congress passed the Railway Labor Act, a law that applies to airline and railroad workers. To read a summary of the RLA, go here.
The National Labor Relations Act—In 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression, the U.S. States Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act (also called the Wagner Act). This law applies to most non-supervisory, private-sector employees who do not work in the airline or railroad industries and gives employees the right to unionize, as well as the right to refrain from unionization. To read about your Section Seven Rights, go here.
Labor Management Relations Act—In 1947, after 12 years of certain union abuses, the U.S. Congress amended the NLRA by passing the Labor Management Relations Act (also called the Taft-Hartley Amendments). Among other things, this law gave employees the right to have a secret-ballot election, as well as outlawed certain union actions, such as secondary boycotts. To read more about the Taft Hartley Amendments, go here.
Labor-Management Reporting & Disclosure Act—In 1959, to further curb union abuses against their members and certain other activites, Congress passed another law called the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (also called the Landrum-Griffin Act). In order to combat the dictatorial nature of certain unions, this law established a Union Members Bill of Rights, as well as required unions to disclose their union finances. To view the text of the LMRDA, go here. To obtain copies of union financial information, go here.
TO DOWNLOAD A (PDF) COPY OF THE NLRB'S A BASIC GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT, CLICK HERE
All information and materials on 1-888-NO-UNION.COM are free. The information and materials on this site are for informational purposes only. Nothing on this website constitutes, nor should it be viewed as legal advice or advice to either employees or employers. Moreover, the information provided on this site should NOT be construed as advice for employees on how to exercise your NLRA Section Seven Rights. If you have a legal question, you are strongly encouraged to consult with your attorney (as an employer) or contact us should you need a referral to legal counsel. Further, should you request an answer to a question, you agree that any answer to any question does not constitute legal advice, or advice of any nature, but is purely for informational purposes.
Copyright. 1-888-NO-UNION.COM, LLC. 2009. All rights reserved.
