The Wagner Act (officially the National Labor Relations Act, 1935) is considered by most labor specialists as the most important 20th-century labor statute. The act, named after New York Senator Robert F. Wagner gave American workers the right to organize, allowed COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, prohibited certain unfair labor practices, and created the NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD (NRLB). Before the Wagner Act, UNION-organizing efforts were often judged as being illegal criminal conspiracies, resulting in the use of police to disperse workers and the imprisonment of union organizers. Collective bargaining meant workers could be represented in negotiations with MANAGEMENT concerning wage, hours, and working conditions. In prohibiting certain unfair labor practices, the act enjoined owners and managers from
1. interfering with employees’ rights to form, join, and assist labor unions
2. dominating or interfering with the formation or administration of a labor union
3. discriminating against employees in hiring, tenure, or any term of EMPLOYMENT due to their union membership
4. discriminating against employees because they have filed charges or given testimony under the NLRA
5. refusing to bargain collectively with any duly designated employee representative
By creating the NLRB, the Wagner Act established a forum for union-management DISPUTE SETTLEMENT outside of the FEDERAL COURTS (which up to that time had been decidedly promanagement). Future labor laws, particularly the TAFT-HARTLEY ACT (1947) and the LANDRUM-GRIFFIN ACT (1959), have amended the Wagner Act, both expanding and contracting the provisions of the law.