Abstract

Labor or union law refers to the body of laws, regulations, and case law that governs unionization and collective bargaining in the workplace. It is distinguished from employment law, which deals with employment contracts, workplace discrimination, and other private legal issues. Most industrialized countries have enacted labor laws, but those laws may vary across countries or even within a country. Labor relations may be governed by both national and regional labor laws—in Canada, for example, there are provincial labor laws. This essay focuses on U.S. federal labor law governing labor relations in the private sector. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is the basic federal law that governs unionization and collective bargaining in the United States. Originally enacted in 1935, at which time it was also called the Wagner Act, the NLRA has undergone several significant amendments, most recently in 1974. The NLRA regulates labor relations in almost all private-sector businesses that participate in interstate commerce. The NLRA does not cover public employees (who are covered by state labor relations laws), agricultural employees, or employees of railroads and airlines. Labor relations in the latter industries are governed b