Guide to the United States. National War Labor Board files,
1913-1946 [bulk 1942-1945].

The National War Labor Board, a tripartite body established in 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was charged with acting as an arbitration tribunal in labor-management dispute cases, thereby preventing work stoppages which might hinder the war effort. It was also responsible for determining wage adjustments in accordance with anti-inflationary wage stabilization criteria and policies.

The Board was initially divided into 12 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 particular industries on a national basis.

This collection reflects the Board's decision-making and internal communication processes, and documents Board policy on no-strike pledges, grievance and arbitration procedures, union security, management rights, maintenance of membership, anti-inflationary wage control policy, and fringe benefits.

The bulk of the collection consists of materials pertaining to labor dispute settlement cases. Includes awards, decisions, and reports and recommendations of mediation panels; hearings transcripts, and documents used as evidence in hearings; and statements, briefs and answers of employers and unions. Documents generated by the War Labor Board also include memoranda, press releases, bulletins and reports concerning directives for case handling, administrative procedures and regulations, and summaries of Board actions and decisions.