The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) oversees the vast majority of private sector labor relations in the U.S., including alleged wrongdoing during collective bargaining negotiations between employers and their unions. Many people, however, are unaware of the fact that many NLRB staffers are themselves members of a union and have their own collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the agency. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the agency is poised to renegotiate its CBA with those employees for the first time in more than 15 years.
The report states:
“The federal agency that adjudicates disputes between businesses and their workers will renegotiate an existing collective contract with its own employees union for the first time in at least 15 years. National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Peter Robb informed union representatives yesterday that he plans ‘to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Office of the General Counsel’ and professional staff at headquarters, according to agency communications obtained by Bloomberg Law. The move is essentially notice that the board’s top prosecutor would like to revisit the employment terms for agency workers under his authority. Other NLRB workers are technically employees of the board’s three sitting members and chairman. It comes as Robb is also weighing various moves to reorganize the agency’s field operations, including through buyouts.”
Robb has announced various potential changes for NLRB in recent months in terms of staffing and agency processes. In fact, earlier this month, the board announced voluntary separation packages for certain NLRB employees. The NLRB employees’ union has taken issue with at least some of the moves. Accordingly, the announced intent to renegotiate the agency’s CBA with its workers appears to be the latest step towards change at the agency. Stay tuned to see how this continues to unfold.
