S.J. Res. 8, which passed both the Senate and House in early March, would have undermined the final rule the NLRB issued in December 2014 to help simplify the process through which workers can seek union representation in the private sector.

“President Obama has stood strong on the side of working people today by sending a clear message to those interests that would seek to discourage and suppress those seeking union representation,” said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. “The reforms outlined by the NLRB rule do nothing more than improve and modernize the election process. There is no acceptable reason for anyone to stand in the way of this progress.”

The final rule includes the following reforms:

• Provides for electronic filing and transmission of election petitions and other documents;
• Ensures that employees, employers and unions receive timely information they need to understand and participate in the representation case process;
• Eliminates or reduces unnecessary litigation, duplication and delay;
• Adopts best practices and uniform procedures across regions;
• Requires that additional contact information (personal telephone numbers and email addresses) be included in voter lists, to the extent that information is available to the employer, in order to enhance a fair and free exchange of ideas by permitting other parties to the election to communicate with voters about the election using modern technology; and
• Allows parties to consolidate all election-related appeals to the Board into a single appeals process.