Union Elections Proceed by Mail Despite Employer Calls for Pause

Federal labor board officials have largely rejected pleas from businesses over the last two months to pause union election proceedings because of the Covid-19 pandemic, opting instead to proceed with mail ballots in most cases.

In a series of instances in which the National Labor Relations Board had been petitioned to administer a unionization election, employers, unions, and workers asked the agency about whether and how the process should proceed, given shelter-in-place and social-distancing orders.

Unions and workers say the board can rely on mail-in ballots and electronic hearings to carry on its normal business during the pandemic. Businesses have ...