WAGNER CONNERY ACT JULY 1935 WAGNER CONNERY ACT U.S GOV'T LEGISLATIVE LABOR/LABOR UNIONS NEW DEAL U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION ECONOMY AND LABOR CONGRESS PASSED THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT IN JULY 1935 THE ACT IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE WAGNER CONNERY ACT AFTER ITS SPONSORS SENATOR ROBERT WAGNER OF NEW YORK AND REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM CONNERY OF MASSACHUSETTS THE ACT CREATED THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD NLRB AND GUARANTEED MOST WORKERS THE RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND TO FORM UNIONS THE RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING MEANT THAT WORKERS WERE ABLE TO ELECT REPRESENTATIVES TO NEGOTIATE FOR THEM WITH EMPLOYERS OVER WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS THE WAGNER CONNERY ACT GAVE THE NLRB TWO MAIN DUTIES FIRST IT ENSURED THAT EMPLOYERS DID NOT USE UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICES OR TRY TO INTERFERE OR BLOCK LABOR UNIONS FROM ORGANIZING SECOND THE NLRB GUARANTEED THAT WORKERS WERE ABLE TO CHOOSE THE UNION AND ELECT THE UNION OFFICERS THAT REPRESENTED THEM THE WAGNER CONNERY ACT WAS A VICTORY FOR LABOR UNIONS BECAUSE IT REQUIRED EMPLOYERS TO NEGOTIATE WITH THEM HOWEVER THE NLRB'S ROLE AS MEDIATOR OR REFEREE BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS WEAKENED UNIONS BY LIMITING THEIR USE OF THE STRIKE AGAINST EMPLOYERS THE GAINS MADE BY LABOR UNIONS WITH THE WAGNER CONNERY ACT WERE EFFECTIVELY TURNED BACK IN 1947 BY THE PASSAGE OF THE TAFT HARTLEY ACT
