Final answer:
The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 sets up a fiduciary relationship between union staff and the union and establishes the National Labor Relations Board to resolve disputes. It also allows states to permit workers to opt out of unions and requires notice before strikes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The federal statute that creates a fiduciary relationship between union staff and the union is most closely associated with the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, also known as the Labor Management Relations Act. This act set forth various restrictions on unions and introduced a framework to resolve disputes between unions and employers. Among the important aspects of the Taft-Hartley Act was establishing procedures for how unions should operate and creating protocols for resolving labor disputes, including the setting up of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to decide these issues. Additionally, the act made it clear that union leaders have a duty to represent the interests of their members, thereby imposing a fiduciary responsibility. The passage of the Taft-Hartley Act marked a key moment in the history of U.S. labor relations, as it enabled states to allow workers to choose not to participate in unions and required that labor leaders provide advance notice before calling a strike.