Operations In Fiscal Year 1988 - National Labor Relations Board

Operations In Fiscal Year 1988A. SummaryThe National Labor Relations Board, an independent Federalagency, initiates no cases; it acts only on those cases . broughtbefore it. All proceedings originate from filings by the major segmentof the public covered by the National Labor RelationsAct—employees, labor unions, and private employers who areengaged in interstate commerce. During fiscal year 1988, theBoard received 39,351 cases.The public filed 31,453 charges alleging that business firms orlabor organizations, or both, committed unfair labor practices,prohibited by the statute, which adversely affected hundreds ofthousands of employees. The NLRB during the year also received7513 petitions to conduct secret-ballot elections in whichworkers in appropriate groups select or reject unions to representthem in collective bargaining with their employers. Also, thepublic filed 385 amendment to certification and unit clarificationcases.After the initial flood of charges and petitions, the flow narrowsbecause the great majority of the newly filed cases are resolved—andquickly—in NLRB's national network of field officesby dismissals, withdrawals, agreements, and settlements.At the end of fiscal year 1988, the five-member Board wascomposed of Chairman James M. Stephens and Members WilfordW. Johansen, Mary Miller Cracraft, and John E. Higgins, Jr.;one seat was vacant. Rosemary M. Collyer served as the GeneralCounsel.Statistical highlights of NLRB's casehandling activities in fiscal1988 include:• The NLRB conducted 4153 conclusive representation electionsamong some 214,092 employee voters, with workers choosinglabor unions as their bargaining agents in 46.3 percent of theelections.• Although the Agency closed 37,701 cases, 21,573 cases werepending in all stages of processing at the end of the fiscal year.The closings included 30,090 cases involving unfair labor practicecharges and 7110 cases affecting employee representationand 501 related cases.