The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent federal agency tasked with safeguarding employees’ right to organize and remedying unfair labor practices in the private sector. It plays a key role in protecting labor rights and strengthening workers’ economic security. In particular, their efforts protecting the right to organize help address economic inequality and ensure that workers see the benefits when the economy grows. Unionized workers get higher pay, better benefits and more flexibility in their work schedules compared to workers who are not in a union. These benefits are especially large for Black and Hispanic workers. Importantly, unions generate broader spillover effects for all workers in industries with high rates of unionization, even for workers who are not in unions. During the pandemic and in its aftermath, the NLRB has played a particularly important role in ensuring that workers’ right to organize is protected.
Read the full report.