The National War Labor Board, commonly the War Labor Board (NWLB or WLB) was an agency of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

government established January 12, 1942 by

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...

to mediate labor disputes during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History

The NWLB was established by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

under Executive Order 9017, with William Hammatt Davis as its chair. It was charged with acting as an arbitration tribunal in labor-management dispute cases in order to prevent work stoppages which might hinder the war effort. It administered wage control in national industries such as automobiles, shipping, railways, airlines, telegraph lines, and mining. The Board was originally divided into twelve Regional Administrative Boards which handled both labor dispute settlement and wage stabilization functions for specific geographic regions. The national Board further decentralized in 1943, when it established special tripartite commissions and panels to deal with specific industries on a national basis. Roosevelt's successor Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9672 ceasing operations of the National War Labor Board on December 31, 1945. Labor disputes were thereafter arbitrated by the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Na ...

, the predecessor agency that had been set up in 1935.

References

External links

Guide to the United States NWLB files 1913-1945 at Cornell University Library

Text of Executive Order 9017, establishing the National War Labor Board (World War II)

''Hearings before the Select Committee to Investigate Seizure of Montgomery Ward & Co.'' U. S. House of Representatives, May 22 - June 8, 1944.
- The testimony (pp. 2-74) of National War Labor Board Chairman William H. Davis before the committee on May 22, 1944, contains a great deal of information on the creation, organization, and practices of the WLB from its inception. {{DEFAULTSORT:National War Labor Board (1942-1945) Government agencies established in 1942 1942 establishments in the United States 1945 disestablishments in the United States Labor relations boards Defunct independent agencies of the United States government History of labor relations in the United States Agencies of the United States government during World War II