Congressional Committee Finds Fault with Mail Ballot Procedures

Abstract

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, mail balloting became the primary method of conducting union elections. Now, although usage of mail balloting has waned, this method remains a much-used tool of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), particularly with regional offices dealing with budgetary problems and short staffing. Indeed, the NLRB has suggested that remote voting should be the way of the future. However, such efforts carry significant risks of unfairness for employers and employees, as concluded in a recent report by the Committee on Education and the Workforce for the U.S. House of Representatives.