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National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Union Representation Elections, 1998-2002
by Michael H. Cimini

Originally Posted: April 28, 2003

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Union Representation Elections, 1998-2002 (1)
Year Total
number
of
elections		 Elections
won by
unions		 Percent
won by
unions		 Number of
eligible
employees
in wins

1998

 3,339 1,869 56 90,658

1999

 3,162 1,676 53 104,045

2000

 2,988 1,549 51 107,359

2001

 2,707 1,445 53 79,765

2002

 2,599 1,423 54 78,243

Footnotes:
(1) Closed cases resulting from petitions filed by a union or employees seeking an election to determine a collective bargaining representative, or petitions from employers seeking an election to determine a collective bargaining representative.

Source: National Labor Relations Board.


One of the principal functions of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is to determine, through secret-ballot elections, the free choice of employees regarding whether or not they wish to be represented by a union in dealing with their employers, and if they do wish to be, by which union. The following is a summary of the NLRB union representation elections for the 1998-2002 period:

  • The number of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union representation elections declined in 4 consecutive years during the 1998-2002 period.

  • The number of NLRB elections won by unions also declined 4 years in a row during the period.

  • The percent of NLRB elections won by unions ranged from 51 to 56 percent over the 5-year period, with slight increases occurring from 2000 to 2002.

  • The number of eligible employees affected by NLRB elections that were won by unions fluctuated over the 5-year period, increasing substantially from 1998 to 1999 and declining markedly from 2000 to 2001.

 

Michael H. Cimini
Economist (Retired), formerly with the Office of Compensation and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.