Preceden

Wagner Act Timeline

(1935–Present)

The Wagner Act, formally the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, established key federal protections for workers and strengthened the right to organize and bargain collectively. Less

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Origins and enactment

Colorado Fuel and Iron Strike

1914

The bloody Colorado Fuel and Iron Strike of 1914 is identified as one of the origins of the labor protections later embodied in the Wagner Act.

Image source: Colorado Coalfield War

Colorado Fuel and Iron Strike

Early labor-law origins

1914

The conflict surrounding the 1914 Colorado Fuel and Iron Strike helped demonstrate the need for stronger federal protection of workers seeking to organize and bargain collectively.

Development of the Wagner Act

1933 - 1935

The National Labor Relations Act emerged during the New Deal period as a foundational federal statute governing private-sector labor relations.

Image source: National Labor Relations Act of 1935

Development of the Wagner Act

Union membership reaches three million

1933

In 1933, total United States labor-union membership stood at approximately three million, before the major growth associated with the Wagner Act era.

Image source: Trade union

Union membership reaches three million

Concerted action protected

1935

The Wagner Act protected collective action by workers, including strikes, as part of the federal labor-law framework.

Collective bargaining protected

1935

The Act protected private-sector employees' participation in collective bargaining with their employers.

Right to organize guaranteed

1935

The Wagner Act guaranteed private-sector employees the right to organize into trade unions.

National Labor Relations Act enacted

1935

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, commonly called the Wagner Act, became a foundational statute of United States labor law.

Franklin Roosevelt signs the act

Jul 5, 1935

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Wagner Act into law on July 5, 1935.

Amendments and legacy

Proposed labor-law changes fail or are vetoed

1935 - 1947

Various proposed changes to the Wagner Act failed or were vetoed before the passage of the 1947 amendments.

Union growth concentrated outside the South

1939

At the end of the 1930s, the vast majority of union members lived outside the Southern United States.

Union membership reaches eight million

1939

By the end of the 1930s, total labor-union membership had grown to eight million, up from three million in 1933.

Disney company union formed

1940

In 1940, Walt Disney formed a company union at Disney Studios, described in the source as violating the law to prevent the Cartoon Unionists Guild from gaining a foothold.

Image source: Walt Disney

Disney company union formed

Cartoon Unionists Guild blocked at Disney

1940

The company union formed at Disney Studios was used to prevent the Cartoon Unionists Guild, a trade union, from establishing a foothold.

Taft–Hartley Act passed

1947

The Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, commonly called the Taft–Hartley Act, amended the NLRA after earlier efforts at change had failed or been vetoed.

Union labor practices regulated

1947

The 1947 Taft–Hartley Act established a series of labor practices applicable to unions.

Right-to-work authority granted to states

1947

The Taft–Hartley amendments granted states the power to pass right-to-work laws.

Triple backpay proposal

1978

An unsuccessful 1978 effort sought to permit triple backpay awards in labor-law cases.

Signed-card certification proposal

1978

Another unsuccessful 1978 proposal would have allowed union collective-bargaining certification based on signed union authorization cards.

Image source: Employee Free Choice Act

Signed-card certification proposal

Employee Free Choice Act comparison

1978

The proposed signed-card certification provision was similar to one later proposed in the Employee Free Choice Act.

Constitutional challenges

Campaign against the NLRA

1935 - 1937

Opposition to the Wagner Act continued through a constitutional campaign challenging the federal law.

Image source: NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.

Campaign against the NLRA

Conservative opposition to the NLRA

1935 - 1937

Conservatives and members of the Republican Party strongly opposed the National Labor Relations Act.

Constitutional challenge reaches the Supreme Court

1937

The campaign against the NLRA continued until the Supreme Court considered its constitutionality in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation.

Jones & Laughlin decision

Apr 12, 1937

On April 12, 1937, the Supreme Court upheld the Wagner Act in NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.

NLRA found constitutional

Apr 12, 1937

The Supreme Court's Jones & Laughlin ruling found the National Labor Relations Act constitutional and sustained its federal labor protections.

Institutional framework

Racial-minority protections omitted

1935

The Wagner Act did not include additional measures specifically protecting the workplace rights of racial minorities.

Airline employees excluded

1935

Employees in the airline industry were also outside the principal coverage of the 1935 NLRA.

Railway employees excluded

1935

Employees in the railway industry were excluded from the Wagner Act's coverage.

Government employees excluded

1935

Employees working for the government were among the principal groups excluded from coverage under the 1935 NLRA.

Private-sector coverage defined

1935

The Act's central protections applied to employees in the private sector.

NLRB becomes primary enforcer

1935

The National Labor Relations Board became the primary institution responsible for enforcing the Wagner Act.

Image source: National Labor Relations Board

NLRB becomes primary enforcer

NLRB established by sections 3 to 6

1935

Sections 3 through 6 of the 1935 Act established the National Labor Relations Board, cited in the United States Code as 29 U.S.C. sections 153 through 156.

New York labor-relations law enacted

1937

The New York State Employment Relations Act was enacted in 1937.

Image source: National Labor Relations Act of 1935

New York labor-relations law enacted

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Key Facts

  1. The Wagner Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 5, 1935.
  2. It guaranteed workers the right to form, join, and assist labor unions and to bargain collectively.
  3. The law prohibited unfair labor practices by employers, including union discrimination and interference with organizing.
  4. It created the National Labor Relations Board to enforce the act and oversee union representation elections.
  5. The Taft–Hartley Act of 1947 amended the Wagner Act by restricting certain union activities and adding prohibitions against unfair labor practices by unions.

Source

This Wagner Act timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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