As an HR professional or a business owner, you may—or may not—know that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the federal law that governs the relationship between unions and employers in the private sector, also applies to nonunion employers in certain situations. For instance, the NLRA covers all concerted activity by employees, whether it occurs in a union or nonunion workplace.
The term “concerted activity” is broadly defined to cover actions undertaken by employees for the “mutual aid and protection” of others. Thus, concerted activity isn’t limited to situations involving union membership—it can be any activity taken by employees to improve their working conditions, even in a nonunion setting.
