Union Formation Efforts Surge 58% Under Biden, Officials Report

TL/DR -

Since President Joe Biden’s election and new liberal majority rule at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), there has been a significant rise in collective organizing and a "dramatic surge" in petitions to form unions, with a 58% increase since 2021. The NLRB has increasingly favored workers, declaring some severance requirements illegal, protecting union protests, and making it easier for workers to form a union by automatically recognizing one if an employer is found guilty of illegal, union-busting activity. Additionally, the NLRB reported a spike in worker complaints about unfair labor practices and illegal attempts by employers to undermine collective organizing, with over 22,400 complaints received in the last year, a 10% increase over 2022.

Union Organizing Sees Significant Increase Under President Biden's Leadership

The election of President Joe Biden, coupled with a liberal majority in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), has seen a significant rise in collective organizing. On Friday, the NLRB announced that there was a substantial increase in union formation petitions, following a "dramatic surge" in the previous fiscal year.

The NLRB registered a total of 2,594 union representation petitions in fiscal 2023, marking a 3% increase from the previous year. Compared to fiscal 2021, when Biden began his term, there has been a 58% rise in union recognition requests.

This growth can, in part, be attributed to Biden's consistent support for organized labor. Last month, he became the first president to join a union picket line, demonstrating his commitment. He has also reshaped the NLRB, a body responsible for union elections and employer dispute resolutions, to ensure a pro-labor bias by appointing two Democrats.

The NLRB under Biden's leadership has leaned more towards workers, declaring most severance requirements illegal and defining union protests like the inflatable "Scabby" rat as a protected form of free speech. The agency has also simplified the union formation process, ruling that employers found guilty of illegal union-busting actions should automatically recognize a union.

On the flip side, the NLRB has seen a spike in worker complaints regarding unfair labor practices, considered as unlawful employer attempts to undermine collective organization. According to the agency, they received over 22,400 complaints last year, a 10% increase from 2022 and the highest since fiscal 2016.

Alongside the rise in union organizing, there has been a significant growth in labor actions. This year, there have been at least 311 strikes as recorded by Cornell University's database compared to a total of 279 work stoppages in 2021.

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