Union Petitions Filed with NLRB Increase Significantly

From October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) received 3,286 union election petitions—a 27% increase from FY 2023’s 2,593 petitions and more than double the 1,638 petitions from FY 2021. Unfair labor practice charges also rose by 7%, with 21,292 cases filed in FY 2024 compared to 19,869 the previous year. This brought the total case intake for NLRB field offices to 24,578, marking the highest in over a decade.

NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo pointed to increased awareness of workers’ rights and the accessibility of NLRB agents as factors behind the surge, while calling on Congress for more funding. However, the growing backlog in case resolutions raises concerns about the Agency’s efficiency.

The rise in case filings also led to increased adjudicative work. In FY 2024, the Board saw a 22% jump in cases, handling 393 compared to 321 the previous year, but still issued just 259 decisions, a modest 5% increase. At the close of FY 2024, the NLRB had 288 pending cases, a 46% increase over FY 2023, highlighting the Agency’s ongoing struggle with case processing times.

Staffing shortages remain a major challenge for the NLRB. Field office staffing levels have dropped by 50% over the past two decades, with only 754 employees in FY 2024 compared to 1,222 in FY 2011 when the Agency faced similar case volumes. Despite a $25 million increase in FY 2023, which temporarily alleviated some staffing issues, funding levels for FY 2024 remained flat at $299.2 million, leaving the NLRB with limited resources to address its growing caseload.