Eye on the NLRB

Eye on the NLRB.

Most Americans aren’t aware of the obstacles workers face when trying to form unions—but they certainly wouldn’t expect the law or the agency set up to protect those rights to get in the way. Unfortunately, workers rarely win when they end up at the National Labor Relations Board.

The NLRB administers and enforces provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This federal law, signed in 1935, regulates relations between unions, employees, and employers in the private sector. According to the NLRA, “encouraging the practice and procedures of collective bargaining” is the policy of the United State s. It provides that if workers decide to form a union, the union and employer are required to engage in good faith negotiations to establish terms and conditions of employment.