Which U.S. labor law, known as the Wagner Act, protects workers who organize and bargain collectively?

The U.S. labor law known as the Wagner Act is the National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers who organize and bargain collectively.

Congress enacted the law in 1935. It established employees’ rights to form, join, or assist labor organizations; to bargain collectively through representatives of their choice; and to engage in certain concerted activities concerning employment conditions.

The act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which investigates unfair-labor-practice allegations and oversees many union-representation elections. Employers and unions can both commit unfair labor practices under the statute.

The NLRA is separate from the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA governs subjects such as federal minimum wages, overtime, and child labor, while the NLRA focuses on collective bargaining and labor-management relations. The law’s original coverage also excluded several groups, including public-sector employees and agricultural workers.