Over the past year, there has been a surge in union elections at large companies. However, some labor leaders are concerned that the NLRB will not be able to effectively manage the increased volume of cases due to understaffing and underfunding. The NLRB's budget has remained stagnant for the past decade which has led to significant staffing reductions, and labor leaders fear the increased processing time for cases will provide employers with an advantage in defeating unionization attempts. Members of the AFL-CIO and NLRB union have expressed dismay over the absence of a funding increase for the NLRB within the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act.
See "Underfunding and understaffing at NLRB stokes fears amongst labor leaders given increased union activity", Steven Greenhouse, The Guardian, August 17, 2022