The National Labor Relations Board is demanding the reinstatement and back pay for former Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez, who was fired in 2022 after publicly criticizing workplace policies and colleagues. NLRB prosecutors argue that her termination violated labor rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

A split appeals court reversed President Trump's firing of NLRB board member Gwynne Wilcox, restoring her position and the board's quorum. The ruling, grounded in the long-standing Humphrey’s Executor precedent, reinforces the independence of federal agencies and protects labor rights against authoritarian overreach.

The National Labor Relations Board adopted a final rule to reverse delays in union representation elections by rescinding portions of the 2019 rule, thereby restoring procedures that facilitate timely and fair union elections. The new rule, approved on August 24, 2023, aims to expedite the process from petition to election and improve the resolution of post-election disputes.

NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and Chairman Lauren McFerran issued a statement thanking Congress for the increased appropriation of $299.224 million in the 2023 omnibus bill. The additional funding comes at a critical time with rising case volumes and significant staffing cuts, and it is expected to help avoid furloughs, support annual pay increases, and enable limited hiring as well as IT system maintenance. This move reinforces the agency’s longstanding mission to uphold collective bargaining and protect employees' rights.

The National Labor Relations Board is calling for a $25 million budget increase in the FY2023 funding package to address a longstanding funding shortfall and staffing challenges, aiming to strengthen its ability to enforce labor rights and collective bargaining in the private sector.

NLRB leadership sent a letter to congressional appropriators in December 2022 requesting additional funding for FY2023 to maintain current operations and avoid furloughs. The move is aimed at preserving the agency’s capacity to protect labor rights amid declining case numbers, though critics question whether increased funding is justified given reduced workloads and concerns over official time usage.

The NLRB released a memo led by General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo advocating for measures to regulate employer surveillance technologies. The memo emphasizes the need to protect worker privacy, prevent intrusive data collection, and safeguard union organizing from employer overreach.

In late 2022, Jennifer Abruzzo, general counsel of the NLRB, issued a memo warning that AI-enabled surveillance of labor organizing activities might infringe worker rights under the NLRA. This memo signals a proactive effort by the agency to protect union activities and ensure that employer surveillance practices do not undermine workers' rights.

In October 2022, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued a memorandum advocating a presumption of illegality for employer electronic monitoring practices that interfere with workers' rights under the NLRA. The agency further reinforced its stance by signing memoranda with other federal agencies to collectively protect workers from intrusive surveillance technologies.