Today the Center for Union Facts (CUF) released an analysis of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) data which refutes union claims of widespread employer intimidation and lagging union win rates in organizing elections.
In the first-half of 2008, labor unions won 66% of NLRB secret ballot elections, the highest win-rate in decades. This figure counters union leader claims that the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is needed in order to further tip the scales towards the unions in organizing campaigns. Further, NLRB statistics tell a different story about employer unfair labor practices (ULP).
In 2007 and 2008 the NLRB received 4,208 unique petitions requesting a secret ballot election. During that span the NLRB determined that only 158 election-related ULP charges or 3.75% which alleged unlawful terminations had merit. The Board further determined that 309 such claims were without merit. These figures come from the NLRB’s Case Activity Tracking System (CATS) which is used to tabulate the statistics in the Board?s annual reports. A complete copy of the CATS database was obtained by CUF through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“The facts do not support the claims made by union officials and their allies who allege misconduct far beyond reality,” said Rick Berman Executive Director of the Center for Union Facts. “The data indisputably demonstrates that unions are largely successful in organization campaigns and that very few employees are inappropriately terminated during those campaigns.”
