National Labor Relations Act

Definition

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is a United States federal law that governs the relationship between private sector employers, employees, and labor unions. It establishes the rights of employees to organize, bargain collectively, and strike, while also regulating the actions of employers and labor unions to promote harmonious labor-management relations.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The NLRA was enacted in 1935 to protect the rights of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve their wages and working conditions.
2. The NLRA prohibits employers from interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of their rights to organize, bargain collectively, and strike.
3. The NLRB is responsible for investigating and addressing unfair labor practices, such as employer discrimination against union members or the refusal to bargain in good faith.
4. The NLRA applies to most private sector employers, but excludes public sector employees, agricultural workers, and independent contractors.
5. The NLRA has been amended several times, most notably by the Labor Management Relations Act (Taft-Hartley Act) in 1947 and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act) in 1959.

Review Questions

• Explain how the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) relates to human resource management and compliance.
  • The NLRA is a critical piece of legislation that directly impacts human resource management and compliance. It establishes the legal framework for private sector employees to organize, bargain collectively, and strike, which HR professionals must navigate. Compliance with the NLRA is essential, as it prohibits employers from interfering with these employee rights or engaging in unfair labor practices. HR managers must ensure their policies, practices, and actions align with the NLRA to maintain positive labor-management relations and avoid potential legal issues.
• Describe the role of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in enforcing the NLRA.
  • The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the NLRA. The NLRB investigates and addresses unfair labor practices by both employers and unions, such as interference with employee rights, discrimination against union members, and refusal to bargain in good faith. The NLRB has the authority to issue cease and desist orders, reinstate terminated employees, and require employers to bargain with unions. HR professionals must be aware of NLRB decisions and rulings to ensure their organization's compliance with the NLRA.
• Analyze how changes to the NLRA, such as the Taft-Hartley Act and Landrum-Griffin Act, have impacted human resource management and compliance over time.
  • Amendments to the NLRA, like the Taft-Hartley Act and Landrum-Griffin Act, have significantly shaped the landscape of human resource management and compliance. The Taft-Hartley Act, for example, placed new restrictions on union activities, such as prohibiting certain types of strikes and secondary boycotts. This required HR professionals to adapt their policies and practices to ensure compliance with the updated law. The Landrum-Griffin Act, on the other hand, increased reporting and disclosure requirements for unions, which HR managers must monitor to maintain proper labor-management relations. As the NLRA has evolved, HR departments have had to continuously review and adjust their strategies to align with the changing legal environment.

Related terms

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act, investigating and addressing unfair labor practices by private sector employers and unions.

Collective Bargaining: The process by which workers' representatives (usually a labor union) and employers negotiate the terms and conditions of employment, such as wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Unfair Labor Practices: Actions taken by employers or unions that interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.