Labor board rule speeds up union elections

A controversial rule from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is dramatically speeding up union elections, in one instance to as few as five days after a petition to organize is filed.

{mosads}The NLRB’s union election rule has sped up the organizing process on average by nearly two weeks, according to a new study from the Atlanta-based law firm Fisher & Phillips.

Republicans are concerned it does not give businesses enough time to prepare, but Democrats say this will protect workers from being intimidated by management not to join a union.

President Obama quashed a Republican attempt to roll back the so-called ambush election rule earlier this year.

Since the rule went into effect in April, organized labor has won 67 percent of union elections, according to the study. 

The average union election takes place about 27 days after a petition is filed. Previously, it took nearly 40 days.

In 27 cases, union elections have occurred in under two weeks. The quickest union election took only five days to turn around, according to the study.

The study found similar results after the three-month mark in July.