NLRB Data: Unions won 80% of representation elections in April

Unions' extraordinary success at the ballot box comes at a time when the NLRB's General Counsel seeks to effectively eliminate secret-ballot elections

In April, unions continued winning the vast majority of representation (or certification) elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), according to NLRB data posted last week, while also winning a majority of decertification elections.

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In total, the NLRB conducted 107 elections in the month of April and unions won 78 percent of them overall. However, the percentages won by unions differ to agree when it comes to voting for unionization for the first time, or whether already-unionized workers are voting to keep their existing union.

Unions won 80 percent of the 99 elections in elections where workers chose to become newly unionized. Whereas, in the eight elections where workers were deciding whether or not to decertify an existing union, unions won 71 percent of those elections.

With the April win rates, unions won an average 72 percent of representation (RC) elections¹ in the first seven months of the NLRB’s fiscal year, according to the NLRB data.

The additions of February, March and, now, April helping to pull the average win rates higher, demonstrates that the momentum of worker sentiment toward unionization does not appear to be dissipating.

• October: 72% win rate

• November: 68% win rate

• December: 63% win rate

• January: 54% win rate

• February: 88% win rate

• March: 79% win rate

• April: 80% win rate

While the union win rates through secret-ballot elections are certainly good news for unions, it also comes at a time when unions, as well as the NLRB’s general counsel, are seeking to effectively eliminate secret-ballot elections.

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Related:

• NLRB Data: Union representation election win rates soared to 88% in February

• Union Election Win Rates Updated: In March, unions won nearly 80% of all NLRB certification elections

• NLRB General Counsel Pushes to Skip Union Elections by Reinstating Joy Silk Doctrine

1. The union representation (RC) election data averaged does not include union decertification (RD) election data.