Which act expanded the power and numbers of labor unions, enforced by the National Labor Relations Board?

Which act expanded the power and numbers of labor unions, enforced by the National Labor Relations Board?

• A. The Social Security Act of 1935.
• B. The Works Progress Administration.
• C. The Agricultural Adjustment Act.
• D. The Wagner Act of 1935.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively was legally protected and there was a formal mechanism to enforce that protection. The Wagner Act of 1935 did exactly this by creating the National Labor Relations Board to oversee union elections and to enforce workers’ rights to form and join unions, as well as to bargain collectively. It also defined unfair labor practices by employers, such as interfering with union rights or retaliating against union organizers. This established a legal framework that made organizing a union both viable and protected, which led to a significant growth in union membership and activity. The other options don’t fit because they address different goals: social insurance, relief work, or farm subsidies, none of which directly empower unions or establish an enforcement body like the NLRB.

The key idea is that workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively was legally protected and there was a formal mechanism to enforce that protection. The Wagner Act of 1935 did exactly this by creating the National Labor Relations Board to oversee union elections and to enforce workers’ rights to form and join unions, as well as to bargain collectively. It also defined unfair labor practices by employers, such as interfering with union rights or retaliating against union organizers. This established a legal framework that made organizing a union both viable and protected, which led to a significant growth in union membership and activity. The other options don’t fit because they address different goals: social insurance, relief work, or farm subsidies, none of which directly empower unions or establish an enforcement body like the NLRB.