Operations In Fiscal Year 1988 - National Labor Relations Board

6 Fifty-Third Annual Report of the National Labor Relations BoardIn fiscal year 1988, 31,453 unfair labor practice charges werefiled with the NLRB, a decrease of 2 percent from the 32,043filed in fiscal 1987. In situations in which related charges arecounted as a single unit, there was a 2-percent decrease from thepreceding fiscal year. (Chart 2.)Alleged violations of the Act by employers were filed in22,266 cases, about 1 percent less than the 22,475 of 1987.Charges against unions decreased 4 percent to 9148 from 9523 in1987.There were 39 charges of violation of Section 8(e) of the Act,which bans hot-cargo agreements. (Tables 1 A and 2.)The majority of all charges against employers alleged illegaldischarge or other discrimination against employees. There were11,196 such charges in 50 percent of the total charges that employerscommitted violations.Refusal to bargain was the second largest category of allegationsagainst employers, comprising 9501 charges, in about 43percent of the total charges. (Table 2.)Of charges against unions, the majority (7384) alleged illegalrestraint and coercion of employees, about 81 percent. Therewere 1096 charges against unions for illegal secondary boycottsand jurisdictional disputes, a decrease of 23 percent from the1430 of 1987.There were 1171 charges (about 13 percent) of illegal uniondiscrimination against employees, a decrease of 10 percent fromthe 1298 of 1987. There were 248 charges that unions picketedillegally for recognition or for organizational purposes, comparedwith 274 charges in 1987. (Table 2.)In charges filed against employers, unions led with 68 percentof the total. Unions filed 15,098 charges and individuals filed7168.Concerning charges against unions, 6520 were filed by individuals,or 71 percent of the total of 9148. Employers filed 2471 andother unions filed the 157 remaining charges.In fiscal 1988, 30,090 unfair labor practice cases were closed.Some 96 percent were closed by NLRB Regional Offices, virtuallythe same as in 1987. During the fiscal year, 31.5 percent ofthe cases were settled or adjusted before issuance of administrativelaw judges' decisions, 30.9 percent were withdrawn beforecomplaint, and 33.1 percent were administratively dismissed.In evaluation of the Regional workload, the number of unfairlabor practice charges found to have merit is important—thehigher the merit factor the more litigation required. In fiscal year1988, 37 percent of the unfair labor practice cases were found tohave merit, as compared with 34 percent in 1987.When the Regional Offices determine that charges allegingunfair labor practices have merit, attempts at voluntary resolutionare stressed—to improve labor-management relations and toreduce NLRB litigation and related casehandling. Settlement ef-