IntroductionThe balance of power between management and labor has long been a problem. Historically, employers had the upper hand and workers had few rights in terms of wages, working conditions, or fair treatment (Fossum, 2012). Individual workers found that they had little influence over their own work situation and were often at the mercy of employers. Over time, however, some progress was made in drawing attention to the plight of workers. Organizing power began to give worker groups some voice in workplace issues. Unfortunately, early attempts to unionize workers in the 19th century were short-lived and often marked by violence (Fossum, 2012). It was not until the 20th century that major laws gave unions a sense of legitimacy and workers gradually gained some influence in the employer-employee relationship. Labor Laws The Norris-La Guardia Act of 1932 was one of the first major federal laws establishing labor laws. rights of unions and union members. This law granted workers the right to organize and strike without fear of federal interference (CSU-Global, 2013). Norris-La Guardia limited the ability of the federal government and employers to engage in anti-union activities (Fossum, 2012). Workers were no longer required to sign “yellow dog contracts,” which prevented them from joining a union and allowed termination based on union membership (Reed and Bogardus, 2012, p. 419). Although it legalized collective bargaining, Norris-La Guardia's reach was somewhat limited because employers were not required to recognize employee-created unions (Fossum, 2012). Despite this, the passage of the Norris-La Guardia Act gave workers a foundation upon which they can serve as a... middle of paper ...... for both the organization and the employee. Additionally, a more cooperative employer-employee relationship reduces the opportunity for unionization.ReferencesColorado State University-Global Campus. (2013). Module 7 – Labor Relations [Blackboard online course]. In MGT 570 – Human Resources Management (pp. 1-5). Greenwood Village, CO: Author. DeMaria, A. T. (2009). Pragmatic reasons for maintaining union-free status. Management Reporting for Non-Labor Organizations (Wiley), 32(11), 3.Early, S. (2014). Save our unions. Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine, 65(9), 15. Fossum, J. (2012). Labor relations: Development, structure, process. (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 978‐0078029158 Reed, SM and Bogardus, AM (2012). PHR/SPHR: Professional Certification Study Guide in Human Resources (4th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc. ISBN-13: 9781118289174