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Wagner Act Essay

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The Wagner Act –also known as the National Labor Relations Act- was a New Deal reform that was passed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935. It was a great tool in preventing employers from messing with workers’ unions and protests in the private sector. This act made a foundation for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to protect the rights of workers for them to organize, bargain collectively, and strikes. In 1930, millions of workers belonged to labor unions. Union members were placed in a few industries like construction, railroads, and local truck delivery. As for the nation's major industries would be autos and steel, which had been remained unorganized. In 1934, Senator Wagner began to revise his labor incident bill, and was …show more content…

Under the Wagner Act of 1935, the federal government had guaranteed that the right of employees to form unions and to bargain collectively. It also set up the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which also had the power to prohibit unfair labor practices by employers. In late 1935, a group of union leaders formed the Committee of Industrial Organization (CIO) to organize the unskilled workers in America's mass production industries. The CIO formed unions in the auto, glass, radio, rubber, and steel industries and by the end of 1937, which it then had more members than the American Federation of Labor (AFL)-3.7 million CIO members against 3.4 million American Federation of Labor members. The 44-day sit-down strike that happened in Flint, Michigan had forced the General Motors to recognize the United Auto Workers. A few weeks later, U.S. Steel had accepted unionization without a strike, but the "Little Steel" companies, said they could not resist the steel workers union. About 75,000 workers walked out and violence started. In 1937, the police in South Chicago had opened fire on marchers at the Republic mill, killing ten people. Later on, the strike was diminishing, but in 1941 the National Labor Relations Board had ordered "Little Steel" to see that the United Steelworkers of America to reinstate all workers who were fired for union

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