A Guide to Basic Law and Procedures

under the

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT

Prepared in the Office of the General Counsel

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

…

The Rights of Employees

The Section 7 Rights. The rights of employees are set forth principally in Section 7 of the Act, which provides as follows:

Sec. 7. Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, and shall also have the right to refrain from any or all of such activities except to the extent that such right may be affected by an agreement requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment as authorized in section 8(a)(3).

Examples of Section 7 rights. Examples of the rights protected by this section are the following:

·        Forming or attempting to form a union among the employees of a company.

·        Joining a union whether the union is recognized by the employer or not.

·        Assisting a union to organize the employees of an employer.

·        Going out on strike to secure better working conditions.

·        Refraining from activity on behalf of a union.