Brief Summary And Criticisms Of The Wagner Act

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The Wagner Act of 1935 represented a shift in American governmental attitude towards labor unions. Although there was some cooperation during WWI for example (when it was vitally important that US production capabilities not be harmed), the Wagner Act was significant in recognizing unions and establishing the NLRB to mediate labor-management disputes. However, that progress in improving laws for workers in the U.S. has slowed in our contemporary times. Overall, unionists would assess U.S. employment laws as lacking, especially in comparison to other wealthy nations, with specific criticisms in regards to certain issues like minimum wage and vacation days and (the lack of) certain laws regarding scheduling.
A frank assessment of unionist views on U.S. …show more content…

employment law. One issue that has been at the forefront of the discussion for quite some time now is the national minimum wage. Unionists and others have “sounded the alarm” on the weakening minimum wage. The national minimum wage has not been increased for a number of years and, due to the effects of inflation, the “real minimum wage” (an economic term for adjusting a nominal number against inflation) has actually declined. Many agree that, at the very least, the minimum wage should be tied to inflation so that the real value of the wage does not decrease over time. Of course others go farther and argue that the minimum wage should be increased a substantial amount—even up to $15 as argued by some workers. The movement to increase the national minimum wage has been unsuccessful, but workers have succeeded in increasing state and local (e.g. Seattle) minimum wages. Beyond the minimum wage other issues like a lack of paid family leave or

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