Union petitions up

Union petitions are up at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). During the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2022 (October 1 to June 30), the NLRB reports, union representation petitions have increased 56 percent, from 1,240 in FY2021 to 1,935. By May 25, in fact, FY2022 petitions had exceeded the total number of petitions filed in all of FY2021. At the same time, the agency notes, unfair labor practice charges have increased by 14.5 percent.

However, the increase in cases comes during a prolonged period of funding and staffing shortages for the agency. The NLRB has received the same Congressional appropriation ($274.2 million) for nine consecutive years. Adjusting for inflation, the agency reports, its budget has decreased 25 percent since FY2010. Overall staffing levels have dropped 39 percent since FY2002 and field staffing has shrunk by 50 percent. President Biden’s budget for FY2023 requested $319.4 million for the NLRB, which would represent a 16 percent budget increase.

“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 underfunding.”

Source: Written by Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

Edited for clarity, from WCI's HR Answers Now ©2022 CCH Incorporated and its affiliates. All rights reserved.