Many people know that the National Labor Relations Board protects employee rights to join and support unions where they work. But, many are not aware that the NLRA also protects other employee rights as well. Under the NLRA, employees have the right to act together to raise workplace issues with their employer or to press for changes in wages or conditions. Such employee actions are known as protected concerted activities. Unlawful employer actions that are prohibited by the Act include: 

Threatening, disciplining, terminating, or otherwise retaliating against an employee for having engaged in union or protected concerted activities. 

Prohibiting employees from discussing or sharing information about their wages or working conditions. 

Prohibiting employees from talking about workplace issues on their own time. 

The National Labor Relations Act also protects an employees’ right to not participate in unions or in other actions with employees. The Act does not require an Employer to grant any specific employee or union demand. 
 

The National Labor Relations Act protects employees who act together to raise workplace issues. Employees are not protected by the Act when they make complaints or demands for themselves alone. 

The Act does not protect employees who engage in misconduct, even when the misconduct is intended to support concerted employee action. Threats, violence, or occupation of the employer’s premises are among actions generally considered to be misconduct warranting discipline. 

The Act provides for backpay to compensate employees for losses resulting from unlawful conduct, but the Act does not provide for fines, punitive damages, or losses not directly resulting from lost employment. 

The Act does not require an employer to grant employee demands. 
 

The Act
has procedures for determining by secret-ballot election whether a majority of employees in a workplace want a union to represent them in dealing with their employer over wages, hours, and working conditions

The Act
requires an employer to recognize and bargain with the union where a majority of employees vote by secret ballot for union representation.

The Act
requires both unions and employers to bargain in good faith.

The Act
requires unions to represent all unit members fairly.

The Act
prohibits unions from picketing neutral employers in order to get them to cease doing business with. 

National Labor Relations Act - Section 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".