Union Election Petitions Up; Labor Board Activity Highest in a Decade

This article is from the October 2024 issue.

According to a recent news release, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received 3,286 union election petitions from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024 (fiscal year 2024), up 27% from the previous fiscal year when the Agency received 2,593 petitions. This is more than double the number of petitions received since FY 2021, when the NLRB received 1,638 petitions.

Likewise, from FY 2023 to FY 2024, unfair labor practice charge filings increased 7% (from 19,869 to 21,292 cases).  In sum, the NLRB’s field offices received a total of 24,578 cases ─the highest total case intake in over a decade. 

In noting the increase, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo commented that “The surge in cases we’ve received in the last few years is a testament to workers knowing and exercising their rights under the National Labor Relations Act and to our board agents’ accessibility and respectful engagement with them.” 

The increase in cases filed in the NLRB’s field offices also caused an increase in cases for the adjudicative side of the Agency. In FY 2024, the Board received 393 unfair labor practice and representation cases, up 22% from 321 cases last year. The Board increased its productivity in FY 2024, issuing 259 decisions—a 5% uptick from FY 2023. As has been the case for the last several years, however, the Board’s case processing achievements were overtaken by a significant jump in case intake, ending FY2024 with 288 pending cases—46% more than the 197 pending cases at the end of FY 2023.

Key Takeaway: Employers need to stay informed about these organizing trends and work to address the underlying employee issues driving the increase in union election petitions. Employers must continue engaging in positive employee relations, address employee issues and concerns head on, and prepare to communicate with employees about union organizing.

Note: If you are interested in topics related to unions, consider volunteering to serve on the ALA-APA Salaries and Status of Library Workers committee or one of its subcommittees which includes Pay Equity Sub-Committee, Research and Resources and Statistics Sub-Committee, and Union Sub-Committee.

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