House Investigation Finds Flaws in Labor Board Mail-In Election

A report was released on Thursday by a Republican-led House committee, outlining “blatant misconduct” and mismanagement related to mail ballot union elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. This has led to the disenfranchisement of workers. The report details these issues.

Virginia Foxx, Chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, expressed concerns about the NLRB’s handling of elections since their decision in November 2020 to switch to mail ballot elections instead of onsite, secret ballot elections. Foxx stated that the NLRB has engaged in misconduct, which has compromised the integrity of elections.

An investigation was initiated by Foxx after a whistleblower revealed interference in representational elections involving Starbucks and Workers United. The whistleblower provided the committee with evidence of staff misconduct, highlighting the NLRB’s inability to conduct mail ballot elections reliably.

The committee’s conclusion emphasized the importance of conducting union elections by secret ballot to ensure fairness and neutrality. They called for the NLRB to recommit to this standard to restore confidence in the election process.