The National Labor Relations Act extends rights to most private-sector employees, including the right to organize and bargain collectively with your employer. Employees covered by the Act are protected from certain types of employer misconduct, and have the right to form a union where none currently exists.

Under the NLRA, you have the right to:

• Attend meetings to discuss joining a union.
• Read, distribute and discuss union literature (as long as you do this in non-work areas, during non-work times; such as breaks or lunch hours).
• Wear union buttons, T-shirts, stickers, hats or other items on the job at most worksites.
• Sign a card asking your employer to recognize and bargain with the union.
• Sign petitions or file grievances related to wages, hours, working conditions and other job issues.
• Ask other employees to support the union, to sign union cards or petitions or to file grievances.

Under the NLRA, your employer cannot:

• Threaten employees with loss of jobs or benefits if they join or vote for a union or engage in protected concerted activity.
• Threaten to close the plant or business operation if employees select a union to represent them.
• Question employees about their union sympathies or activities in circumstances that tend to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of their rights under the Act.
• Promise benefits to employees to discourage their union support.
• Transfer, lay off, terminate or assign employees more difficult work tasks because they engaged in union or protected concerted activity.

The National Labor Relations Act also protects employees’ rights to engage in protected concerted activities, with or without a union, which are usually group activities (two or more employees acting together) attempting to improve working conditions, such as wages and benefits. Some examples of such activities include:

• Two or more employees addressing their employer about improving their working conditions and pay;
• One employee speaking to his/her employer on behalf of him/herself and one or more co-workers about improving workplace conditions;
• Two or more employees addressing their employer about improving their working conditions and pay;
• The NLRA also protects any individual employee’s right to engage in union support, membership, and activities.