ABA Family Legal Guide

Law and the Workplace

On the Job

Unions in the Workplace

Must there be a union in the workplace in order for employees to be able to use their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)?

No. Employees have these rights regardless of whether a union represents them in the workplace. For example, a group of workers in a nonunion workplace who circulates a petition asking the employer for a wage increase is engaged in a "protected concerted activity" that is covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).