Nearly two decades later, that petition is becoming reality—engendering controversy and reactions, both negative and positive. Effective November 14, the NLRB announced Thursday, employers covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) will have to post 11-by-17-inch notices that spell out employee rights to organize.

“It took a long time,” says Morris, a legal scholar and a leading expert on the NLRA. “There’s a need for this. Most employees are unaware that there is a National Labor Relations Board” that is there to support them, he adds.