What was a major consequence of the National Labor Relations Act?

The National Labor Relations Act, often referred to as the Wagner Act, was a landmark piece of legislation enacted in 1935 that aimed to protect the rights of workers in the United States. A major consequence of this act was the protection of workers' rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining. This legal framework empowered employees to form unions without the threat of penalties from their employers, fundamentally changing the labor landscape.

By ensuring that workers had the right to organize and join unions, the act aimed to level the playing field between employees and employers, who had previously held disproportionate power. This brought significant improvements in labor relations and gave workers a much stronger voice in negotiations regarding wages, working conditions, and other employment terms. The act also established the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to oversee the enforcement of labor laws and the rights of workers, although the establishment of a new government agency is categorized as a separate consequence of the act, not the primary one.

While the act also had implications for federal control over labor laws and the frequency of labor strikes, its most direct and impactful consequence was the explicit protection it provided for workers’ rights to organize.