Labor Leaders Demand Answers from NLRB Leadership about Addressing Backlog of Workers’ Cases
WASHINGTON – Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Ranking Member DeSaulnier, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), demanded answers from General Counsel Carey of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) about the decision to abruptly redistribute thousands of unfair labor practice cases to different regional offices. The Members expressed concern that these potentially reckless transfers will create redundancies and further strain an understaffed agency that is the only avenue for workers to hold union-busting corporations accountable.
On May 6, 2026, the NLRB announced the transfer of approximately 3,500 unfair labor practice cases from select regional offices to other regions across the country in order to address a growing backlog of unresolved cases. Despite the NLRB’s claims, the redistribution of cases does not meaningfully address the backlog. Instead, it forces NLRB staff to redo already-completed work and spend valuable time sending cases back and forth across regional offices.
“…We are concerned that the NLRB’s Initiative may—contradictory to its purpose—only introduce unnecessary inefficiencies,” wrote the Ranking Members. “…At a time when the NLRB is severely under-resourced and understaffed, we urge you to act with caution and avoid creating redundancies and further straining the Agency’s staff capacity.”
The NLRB is currently in the midst of a severe staffing crisis. Even prior to the disastrous cuts initiated by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, there was only one full-time NLRB employee for every 90,000 workers, resulting in severe understaffing and a backlog of cases. This backlog was also exacerbated by President Trump’s firing of NLRB Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, which prevented the NLRB from acting on pending cases for months.
The Members concluded by requesting answers regarding the transferred cases, the agency’s processes, and the NLRB’s future plans.
To read the full letter, click here.
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