What US federal law governs collective bargaining and labor unions?

The National Labor Relations Act governs collective bargaining and protects workers’ rights to organize and form labor unions.

Congress passed the NLRA in 1935 during the New Deal. It established a national policy favoring collective bargaining and protected many private-sector employees who act together to improve wages, hours, and working conditions. The Act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which administers elections, investigates unfair labor-practice charges, and supervises remedies.

Under the statute, employers and unions may commit unfair labor practices, including interfering with protected organizing rights or refusing to bargain in good faith. Employees generally have the right to choose representatives, act collectively, and engage in certain protected concerted activity, though the Act excludes or treats some categories differently, including many public employees, supervisors, and independent contractors.

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 amended the NLRA and added restrictions on unions while preserving the basic framework. That is why Taft-Hartley is closely related but is not the canonical answer to a question asking which federal law governs collective bargaining and labor unions.