NLRB Begins Hiring Push in Field Offices to Tackle Case Backlog

The National Labor Relations Board has officially begun hiring new employees as the agency copes with a year of grinding staff attrition and a massive case backlog.

The board has posted several open positions on the USA Jobs website, the federal government’s hiring platform. The posted openings include over three dozen for program support assistants in the NLRB’s field offices around the country as well as a financial management specialist at the board’s Washington, DC, headquarters.

The hiring push highlights the need to address the agency’s case backlog, which been exacerbated by understaffed NLRB field offices. The agency’s backlog has grown to 17,000 open unfair labor practice investigations, with about 10,000 of those cases pending for more than six months, as of early March.

The field offices currently have about 75% of the employees they need to handle their caseload. The NLRB avoided the mass layoffs seen at other federal agencies last year, but voluntary early retirements, the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, and natural attrition led the board to lose about 200 staffers.

The NLRB last week also transferred about 3,500 cases to field offices with more bandwidth to deal with the backlog.

Program support assistants will aid regional offices with unfair labor practice and representation case proceedings, according to USA Jobs’ postings. Responsibilities include maintaining case files, organizing evidence and preparing legal documents. Salariesfor these positions rangefrom about $50,000 to up to $90,000 a year, depending on location and experience level.

Pay for the financial management specialist role ranges from $143,913 to $187,093 per year with duties including ensuring compliance with financial information, communicating risk and overseeing remediation plans and business control reviews, according to the listing.

The NLRB Union, which represents agency workers, said on social media last week the new employees are not expected to fully replace the number of staff lost last year.

“While we are eager to get new hires in the door, we want to stress that this isn’t the hiring wave we need: it’s more like a trickle,” the union said.

Sylvester A. Giustino, director of the NLRB Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, said in a statement that the agency intended to post additional job openings in the near future.

“We are proceeding thoughtfully to ensure our Human Resources team can onboard new employees effectively and efficiently, while remaining fiscally responsible,” Giustino’s emailed statement said. “In the meantime, our dedicated staff continues working diligently with the resources available to address the case backlog and carry out the Agency’s mission.”

The job postings indicate they’re open to applicants through May 13 or until 50 applications are received.