Fewer Representation Votes Conducted In First Half of 2006 than In First Half of 2005

There were fewer representation elections conducted by the National Labor Relations Board during the first half of 2006 than during the same period in 2005, according to NLRB data.  The union win rate also declined slightly from the previous year.  Unions won 485 of 802 elections (60.5%) held in the first half of 2006, compared with 715 of 1,161 elections (61.6%) in the same period of 2005.

In the first half of 2006, the service sector, including health care, led all other industries with 265 elections.  Unions won 70.7% of elections in that sector.  Health care services won 71.7% of 92 elections.

In the first half of 2006, unions continued to have greater success in elections for small units.  In units with fewer than 50 employees, unions won 64.3% of 561 elections, while in units of 500 or more workers they won 31.3% of 16 elections.