NLRB rules sped up union elections by 38 percent

Workers have been organizing union elections 38 percent faster since the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) changed its rules two years ago, according to a new analysis.

The study from the management law firm Fisher Phillips examines just how quickly union elections are taking place under the NLRB’s new rules, which were issued in April 2015.

On average, workers must wait 24 days from the time a petition is filed until the union election is held. That’s a sharp decline from the previous average of 39 days.

{mosads}The number of union elections held in less than two weeks is also growing. There were 62 elections held in fewer than 14 days in the last year, compared to only six such elections in the year before the new rules went into effect. That’s a 933 percent increase.

While unions win these elections held in less than two weeks 82 percent of the time, the overall rate of success for unions has largely stayed the same at around 67 percent.

Proponents of the rule say it prevents companies from intimidating workers against organizing a union.

But critics say it does not give managers enough time to talk with their workers before they vote. Business groups have dubbed it the “ambush” election rule.