Question

In 3–5 sentences, describe the policies of the National Industrial Recovery Act or the National Recovery Administration concerning unions.Roosevelt, his Brains Trust, and Congress created the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) in 1933 to help the nation’s industrial sector. A new government agency, the National Recovery Administration (NRA), was in charge of administering the plan. The NIRA suspended antitrust laws and allowed businesses and industries to work together to create codes of fair competition. These included issues of price setting and minimum wages. New Deal officials thought that collaboration would help industries stabilize prices and production levels. Many, however, also thought that it was also important to protect workers from potentially unfair employment agreements.

The NRA mandated that businesses accept a code that included minimum wages and maximum work hours. The NRA also created codes that gave workers the right to organize and use collective bargaining. Collective bargaining allows workers to negotiate wages and working conditions as a group rather than individually. Workers wanted to make sure their wages rose with prices. They soon sought out groups that would help them organize.

The Communist Party tried to create widespread protests against the American industrial system. The number of strikes nationwide doubled between 1932 and 1934, with more than 1.5 million workers going on strike in 1934 alone.

Answer 1

The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) and the National Recovery Administration (NRA) implemented policies that significantly supported labor rights, particularly concerning unions. The NRA mandated that businesses adhere to codes that established minimum wages and maximum working hours, which aimed to protect workers from exploitation. Additionally, the NRA explicitly granted workers the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining, enabling them to negotiate better wages and working conditions as a united front. This encouragement of union activities was a critical component of the New Deal, as it sought to improve the economic situation for workers during the Great Depression.