Efforts to form a new union have surged 58% since Biden became president, federal officials say [View all]
Source: Business Insider
Oct 14, 2023, 6:08 AM EDT
The election of President Joe Biden and a new liberal majority at the federal agency that rules on employer-worker disputes has coincided with a boon in collective organizing. The National Labor Relations Board announced Friday that petitions to form unions continue to rise following a "dramatic surge" the year before.
In fiscal year 2023, which ended September 30, the NLRB said there were 2,594 union representation petitions filed with its regional field offices, an uptick of 3% from the year before. Compared to fiscal year 2021, when Biden entered office, requests for union recognition are up 58%. That has to do, at least in part, with who is in the White House.
Since being elected, Biden has often touted his support for organized labor, becoming the first president to join a union picket line when he stood with autoworkers last month. He has also shifted the balance of power at the NLRB, which holds union elections and rules on when employers have broken the law, appointing two of its current Democrats and ensuring its pro-labor contingent is in the majority.
Under Biden, the NLRB has increasingly sided with workers over employers, declaring most severance requirements illegal and ruling that unions displaying a giant inflatable rat known as "Scabby" in front of employers they're protesting is a protected form of free speech.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/union-petitions-increased-since-biden-took-office-nlrb-2023-10
Link to NLRB announcement - https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/news-story/unfair-labor-practices-charge-filings-up-10-union-petitions-up-3-in-fiscal
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