Your first two articles have been great. I saw them on Twitter and have learned a lot from you already. A follow-up comment from a higher-ed union organizing perspective: It's clear to us that university administrations exploit the NLRB's weakness under GOP appointments. In 2017, my university, Vanderbilt, beat back a winning union election result among the non-tenure faculty by dragging it up to DC (two lower NLRB judges in Nashville and Atlanta upheld the election result). But as you say, there is a real window opening now, despite the Board's overall weakness, for workers trying to organize new unions. At the very least, there is an increased chance that election results will have to be recognized and respected and that more workers will be able to get the table without the cynical delay tactics. Of course, making elections just a little easier doesn't fix all the other employer-advantaging rules you mentioned in your first article. But it's an opportunity at using the power we do have, and I agree with you, it does matter.
Does the NLRB Actually Matter?
Your first two articles have been great. I saw them on Twitter and have learned a lot from you already. A follow-up comment from a higher-ed union organizing perspective: It's clear to us that university administrations exploit the NLRB's weakness under GOP appointments. In 2017, my university, Vanderbilt, beat back a winning union election result among the non-tenure faculty by dragging it up to DC (two lower NLRB judges in Nashville and Atlanta upheld the election result). But as you say, there is a real window opening now, despite the Board's overall weakness, for workers trying to organize new unions. At the very least, there is an increased chance that election results will have to be recognized and respected and that more workers will be able to get the table without the cynical delay tactics. Of course, making elections just a little easier doesn't fix all the other employer-advantaging rules you mentioned in your first article. But it's an opportunity at using the power we do have, and I agree with you, it does matter.