Which U.S. law protects employees’ rights to organize and bargain collectively?

The U.S. National Labor Relations Act protects employees’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.

Congress enacted the law in 1935, and it is commonly called the Wagner Act after Senator Robert F. Wagner. Section 7 protects employees who act together regarding workplace conditions, including forming, joining, or assisting labor organizations and bargaining collectively through representatives of their choice.

The act also defines unfair labor practices by employers and unions. It created the National Labor Relations Board, which conducts representation elections and investigates and adjudicates covered unfair-labor-practice cases.

The law does not cover every worker in the United States. Important exclusions include many public employees, agricultural workers, domestic workers, supervisors, and employees covered by separate railway labor legislation. The later Taft–Hartley Act amended the framework in 1947.