Well, it finally happened. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) voted 2 to 1 to amend its election procedures. For those of you whofollow the NLRB, the result was not surprising, with Democrats, Mark Pearce and Craig Becker, voting in favor of the rule, and Republican, Brian Hayes, voting against the proposal.

The supporters of the amendment claim the changes will avoid unnecessary litigation and will do away with appeals of issues that are moot as a result of the election. The opponents of the “quickie election” rules assert that the rule exceeds the NLRB’s authority.

Probably the most significant change proposed in the new rules would be the reduction of the number of days by which unionization elections must be held. The new rule would reduce the average number of days to less than 21 days, down from the current average of 38 days.

In response to the vote, the House of Representatives voted 235 to 188 to overrule the Board’s efforts and require a 35 day waiting period before unionization elections could be held.

It’s anyone’s guess where this battle will end up, but we will monitor the situation and get you any updates.