Political Quotes

“I rise to speak about the National Labor Relations Board. This is a board and a set of issues we are going to be debating and have begun to debate recently. It will be with us for a while, and it is an important debate we are having. As the Senate considers the National Labor Relations Board member nominations, I think it is very instructive, and I would even say essential, to look back at the history of the Board and the National Labor Relations Act, the legislation that created the Board, to recall why this Board and the act are so important to our economy, our workers, and our businesses. The National Labor Relations Act played a key role in making the United States the prosperous Nation we are today. A properly functioning labor board and a revived, modernized National Labor Relations Act could be key players in a more prosperous future. Congress passed the act in 1935 during the depths of the Great Depression. The National Labor Relations Board Act legitimized and gave workers the right to join unions. It encouraged and promoted collective bargaining as a way to set wages and settle disputes over working conditions, and it led to a surge in union membership and representation. It is worth remembering as well why the act was passed in the first place. To quote section 1 of the act: ``The inequality of bargaining power between employees . . . and employers . . .…”