Which legislation primarily allows employees to organize and bargain collectively?

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is the primary legislation that allows employees to organize and engage in collective bargaining. Enacted in 1935, the NLRA established the legal framework for labor relations in the United States, emphasizing the rights of employees to unionize and participate in negotiations with employers regarding working conditions, wages, and other employment terms.

This act created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees and enforces employees' rights to organize, as well as address issues such as unfair labor practices. The NLRA ensures that workers have the freedom to choose whether to join a union and engage in collective bargaining without coercion from employers or other entities.

While the Wagner Act is another name for the NLRA, identifying the act by its commonly used title, the National Labor Relations Act, is more accurate in this context. The other legislations listed—such as the Labor Management Relations Act, which is a subsequent amendment affecting union practices, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, which primarily addresses wage and hour regulations—do not focus on the organizing and collective bargaining rights of employees in the same foundational way that the NLRA does.