Final answer:
The statement is true; the Labor Management Relations Act does apply to private employers, including those who take over privatized government services, and governs the labor-management relations in the private sector.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a governmental unit privatizes a government service to a private business, the private employer is likely to be covered under the Labor Management Relations Act. The correct answer is true. The Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, commonly known as the Taft-Hartley Act, significantly impacts labor-management relations in the United States. This act is applicable to most private sector employers and provides mechanisms for addressing labor disputes, including the imposition of an 80-day "cooling-off" period that can be enacted during strikes or work stoppages that affect the national health or interest. Examples of this can be seen in cases where President Obama intervened using the act's provisions during a dispute between unions and port operators in 2015.
The Labor Management Relations Act applies to private enterprises engaged in interstate commerce and would cover the private employers that take over previously governmental services once these services are privatized. Thus, when a governmental service is transitioned to a private entity, that entity, as a private employer, becomes subject to the same federal labor laws as other private sector employers. This includes adhering to regulations related to collective bargaining, protection against unfair labor practices, and the stipulations provided by the Taft-Hartley Act, which further amends the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act).
The Wagner Act, another cornerstone labor law, was established to protect the rights of employees, to encourage collective bargaining, and to curtail certain private sector labor and management practices, which can harm the general welfare of workers, businesses, and the U.S. economy. The act created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to arbitrate disputes between unions and employers, making it a critical component in labor-management relations.