<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> United States Supreme Court cases </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis (2018) </Td> </Tr> <P> The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 449) 29 U.S.C. § 151--169 (also known as the Wagner Act after New York Senator Robert F. Wagner) is a foundational statute of United States labor law which guarantees basic rights of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining for better terms and conditions at work, and take collective action including strike if necessary . The act also created the National Labor Relations Board, which conducts elections that can expect employers to engage in collective bargaining with labor unions (also known as trade unions). The Act does not apply to workers who are covered by the Railway Labor Act, agricultural employees, domestic employees, supervisors, federal, state or local government workers, independent contractors and some close relatives of individual employers . </P> <P> President Franklin Roosevelt signed the legislation into law on July 5, 1935 . </P>

What was the purpose of the wagner act