National War Labor Board (United States)

Origins and history

During World War I the board was formed to prevent strikes that could hamper the war effort. Its membership included industrial leaders and union figures; prominent co-chairs included former President William Howard Taft. That first wartime board wound down in 1919 after the armistice. A later board was reestablished on January 12, 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to address similar problems early in World War II; the 1942 body operated under a no‑strike ethos and was led by William Hammatt Davis. The reestablishment date and presidential role are sometimes noted with the anchor date 1942.

Structure and functions

The boards typically consisted of balanced membership drawn from business, labor and public officials, with representatives of business and of unions sitting together. Their primary functions were to mediate or arbitrate disputes, recommend wage and hour policies, supervise grievance procedures, and discourage work stoppages and strikes. Decisions were intended to be binding in practice and to offer an alternative to unilateral actions by either side.

Typical powers and procedures

• Mediation of bargaining impasses and promotion of collective bargaining.
• Encouragement of no‑strike pledges and arbitration to preserve production.
• Advising on wages, hours, and working conditions in critical industries.

Importance and legacy

Although temporary, the National War Labor Boards influenced later labor policy by popularizing federal mediation and arbitration during crises and by demonstrating cooperative approaches to labor relations. Their work reinforced the idea that labor disputes could be managed through structured negotiation rather than disruptive strikes. Critics argued the boards sometimes constrained worker power or favored industrial continuity over long‑term rights, but their wartime role in stabilizing production is widely recognized.

Notable facts

The boards differed from permanent bodies by design: they were wartime instruments, dissolved after hostilities ended, and reconstituted as needed. They remain a reference point in U.S. labor history for how government, employers and unions can cooperate under national emergency conditions.