Thoughts on the Unification of U.S. Labor and Employment Law: Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of the Parts

As the need for fundamental reform of our nation's labor laws has grown more and more evident since the 1970s, major reform efforts have focused narrowly on adjusting the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), but have repeatedly foundered amidst intense polarization over tipping the existing "balance" between labor and management.' At the same time, at the federal, state, and, increasingly, municipal levels, U.S. labor laws governing worker organization and collective bargaining have been surrounded by a growing thicket of other laws governing the workplace.