The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has set two days of meetings in April to hear opinions on proposed changes to rules governing union representation elections.
The NLRB will meet for April 10-11 at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., to allow members of the public to present their views on what probusiness interests have labeled “quickie” election rules. Additional days of meetings may be scheduled for April 8 and/or 9, according to an announcement from the Board.
Those interested in speaking during the meeting must submit a request to the NLRB no later than March 10. If there are more requests to speak than there are available time slots, the available time will be allocated based on the content of the requests so that a variety of viewpoints will be represented, the Board says.
Those interested in attending the meeting must submit a request to the NLRB no later than March 31. Instructions for requesting to speak and attend are included in an announcement in the Federal Register.
The proposed amendments match proposals presented in June 2011 that were struck down in 2012 when a federal district court judge ruled that they were invalid because the NLRB lacked a quorum when they were presented.
The NLRB says the purpose of the amendments is to streamline union elections and prevent unnecessary litigation. Opponents of the changes say the amendments would favor unions at the expense of employers and would rob employers of time needed to respond to union organizing campaigns.