Our Threatened Middle Class: Union Election Petitions Up 58%

During the first nine months of Fiscal Year 2022* union representation petitions filed at the National Labor Relations Board  increased 58%, up to 1,892 from 1,197 the NLRB** said today.

This means that by May 25, FY2022, petitions exceeded the total number of petitions filed in all of FY2021. Unfair labor practice charges have also increased though Q3 16% from 11,082 to 12,819 as the Biden Administration recovery continues. (AutoInformed on: Biden Recovery: Transportation Jobs Equal Pre-Pandemic)

A representation petition is filed by employees, unions, or employers with an NLRB Field Office to have the NLRB conduct an election to determine if employees wish to be represented by a union. The Field Office investigates the petitions and, if meritorious, conducts an election to allow employees to decide whether or not they wish to be represented by a union.

An unfair labor practice charge is filed by any member of the public with an NLRB Field Office if they believe an employer or union has violated the National Labor Relations Act. The Field Office will then investigate the charge and issue a complaint, absent settlement, if the Regional Director determines the charge has merit.

“The NLRB is processing the most cases it has seen in years with the lowest staffing levels in the past six decades. Our dedicated staff, especially in our 48 field offices, are handling unsustainable caseloads. The Agency urgently needs more resources to process petitions and conduct elections, investigate unfair labor practice charges, and obtain full remedies for workers whose labor rights have been violated,” said NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. “We need Congress to help us restore the capacity that we have lost after years of under-funding,” said Abruzzo.

*October 1 – June 30

** Established in 1935, the National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees, employers, and unions from unfair labor practices and protects the right of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve wages, benefits and working conditions. The NLRB conducts hundreds of workplace elections and investigates thousands of unfair labor practice charges each year.