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How The NLRA National Labor Relations Act Changed The Workforce

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The year 1935 changed the workforce for employees forever. That year the NLRA National Labor Relations Act was formed which impacted unions forever. The NLRA gave the right for workers to form unions and fight for their rights. Prior to the formation of the NLRA other unions such as American Federation of Labor (AFL), Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) were in place to give employees a voice but failed at that because certain workers were not allowed to join which was one of the reason the NLRA was formed. Brucher states “Labor unions were controversial prior to the NLRA and remained so even after it became law. The history of American unions was particularly tumultuous between 1919 and 1946” (Brucher 1). The NLRA allowed “employees to have the right of self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities” (Brucher 1). Still till this day unions have a strong bearing on the workforce. …show more content…

The AFL was in place to help “skilled craftsmen such as carpenters, plumbers, and mechanics”(Brucher 1). The main problem with the AFL was that many unions only fought for higher wages and exiled industrial workers, women, African Americans and immigrant workers from joining. Because of this IWW was formed in 1905 and unlike AFL, IWW welcomed all workers and did not discriminate against any race, nationality or sex. IWW argued that workers deserved more than what the AFL argued for and also were in favor of general strikes in all industries, which they gained success

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