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NLRB Suspends Union Elections Through April 3rd


Last Thursday, the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") announced that it would suspend all representative elections, including those by mail, through April 3rd.

As readers might have guessed, the NLRB's reason for doing so relates to wanting to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  In its press release, the NLRB cited the health and safety of NLRB employees and members of the general public that are involved in the election process as the reason for the suspension.  (For readers that do not recall, or simply need a reminder, a union election is a secret vote among a bloc of workers about whether they want to unionize and have a union represent them in contract negotiations with the company.  When an election occurs, there are often large groups of workers that are converging at the election site to vote and then NLRB employees are used to help count votes and certify the election.  With many states prohibiting large (or even small) gatherings of people, union elections are simply not feasible at this time.)

I would not consider this announcement by the NLRB to be much of a surprise.  Given that all NLRB personnel has been instructed to telework, I think it was inevitable that other facets of the NLRB would grind to a halt.  Whether this suspension of elections extends beyond April 3rd is anyone's guess at this point.  Stay tuned.

For additional information:  https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/news-story/national-labor-relations-board-suspends-representation-elections-through

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