The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) guarantees employees the right to organize, form unions and bargain collectively with their employer. Most employers and employees involved in businesses that affect interstate commerce are regulated by the NLRA. The NLRA protects employees from employer misconduct and guarantees workers many rights, including:
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Forming, or attempting to form, a union among the employees of the employer |
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Joining or refusing to join a union |
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Assisting a union in organizing employees |
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Engaging in “protected concerted activities” which generally means that employees, as a group, can take action in an effort to change their wages or working conditions, regardless of whether these employees are members of a union. |
It also imposes a requirement that employers and labor organizations engage in good faith collective bargaining, and it grants unions the right to strike. The NLRA prohibits employers from taking any action which interferes with, restrains or coerces employees in the exercise of their rights protected by the NLRA.
The NLRA established the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which is empowered to hear disputes between employers and employees arising under the NLRA, and to determine which labor organization will represent a unit of employees.