Volume 19 Number 9
Thursday, March 3, 2005
 Page 285
 
ISSN 1522-8819
 
The National Labor Relations Board implemented a new, voluntary procedure March 1 that will allow employers and unions as part of a stipulated election agreement to consent to the resolution of all disputed pre-election and postelection issues by a regional director, with no appeal to the board.

"The new procedure is designed to offer parties the ability to have a secret ballot board-conducted representation election and still be able to expedite the resolution of all questions concerning representation," NLRB Chairman Robert J. Battista and General Counsel Arthur F. Rosenfeld said in a Feb. 28 statement.

The measure was announced by NLRB in January (19 LRW 113, 1/27/05 ).

The new rule permits parties to enter into a voluntary agreement waiving their right to board review and designating the regional director to serve as the final authority to resolve disputes. After a hearing, the regional director will issue a final decision and certification with the same force and effect as if issued by the board.

Source:  Bureau of National Affairs