The National Labor Relations act

The National Labor Relations act guarantees the right of collective bargaining through representatives of the workers' own choosing, without interference or coercion on the part of the employer. Disputes arising over problems of collective bargaining fall under the jurisdiction of the Labor Board, if strikes or other results tend to obstruct the flow of interstate commerce. The law raises two important constitutional problems: the extension of the federal power to regulate interstate commerce, and "due process" involved in legislation to control bargaining relations. The Act has been taken into the lower courts. The procedure of the Board has been to indicate the interstate nature of the business, citing the sources of raw materials amd the market for finished products. Recent decisions of the Suprime Court indicate the probability of a negative decision on the wide application. Preoccupation with constitutional aspects has pushed into the background of certain significant and lasting influences, such as the impetus to unionization, the sharpening conflict over company unions, the possible effect in the structure and political status of trade unions.