Hostile

Recently in the New York Times a hostile economist claimed that the labor law is broken. It could have been great if he came out and said he was an opponent of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) alternately called the Wagner Act and that he is bitter towards unions.

The Wagner Act is the basis for the current US labor law embodying the twin principles of a unions right to organize and the employers’ obligation to bargain collectively with them on hours, wages, and other terms and conditions of employment. The NLRA also established the National Labor Relations Board by which the provisions of the Act could be enforced both through cease and desist orders and the circuit courts. For the first time in US history the federal government revealed favorable attitudes toward labor passage of the NLRA and they showed that they had a willingness to form a partnership with labor. For all it's restrictive amendments and watering down since becoming law in July 1935, the NLRA remains the constitution of American labor.

One wonders what is next and without some form of protection to the blue collar this hostile economist would prefer non union workers underbid in hours, wages, and other terms and conditions of employment. Therefore we wonder with these skyrocket prices and the shortage of job opportunities thanks to NLRA in preventing downward pressure, unregulated markets and bidding downwards of the wages?

Opponents of the NLRA such as this economist have increased recently. There are many who are bent on depressing wages for the blue collar workers and increasing profits for the corporate shareholders however they do not ridicule management compensations practices. This approach seems to contribute to the toxic environment in the relationship of the employer and employee.