Norcross presses for fresh NLRB funding to avoid employee furloughs (Federal Times)

Norcross presses for fresh NLRB funding to avoid employee furloughs – By Molly Weisner (Federal Times) / Nov 30, 2022

WASHINGTON — Rep. Donald Norcross of New Jersey urged Congress to boost funding for the National Labor Relations Board and avoid furloughs of agency workers after almost a decade of stagnant budgets.

The Democratic congressman escalated a request he and more than 140 representatives made in April to increase funding for the NLRB, the federal agency tasked with investigating violations of workplace law. The agency has said that without a substantial increase in funding from Congress, it may have to start letting go of staff despite increasing workloads.

“The funding situation at the NLRB is dire,” Norcross said in a Nov. 29 letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Simply put, the status quo of NLRB funding is untenable. Continuing to underfund the NLRB not only puts workers’ rights at risk but also subjects employers to costly uncertainty.”

In its own letter to members of the House and Senate appropriations committees, the NLRB said it has received the same appropriation of $274 million for nine straight years. When adjusted for inflation, the budget has actually shrunk by a quarter since 2014, it said. At the same time, expenses have arisen for pay increases and field office relocations while the agency’s staff of 1,200 has dwindled.

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