ABSTRACT
The Wagner Act constituted a basic change in public policy, particularly in regard to the role of government regulation of labor relations. The Act also made serious inroads upon the traditional conception of employer property rights. It outlawed employer interference with, restraint, or coercion of employees in the exercise of their right to organize, to bargain collectively, and to engage in concerted acts such as strikes and picketing. The Roosevelt administration and Congress not only created employee rights, they also developed a comprehensive system of administrative law and administrative agencies to implement New Deal legislation. The Wagner Act created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to determine appropriate units for collective bargaining, to conduct secret ballot representation elections to determine if a labor organization had majority support and to prosecute the unfair labor practices provisions of the Act. The Wagner Act NLRB was in charge of the new national labor policy.
