Union petitions are rising in Indiana, according to federal data – Indianapolis News | Weather Indiana | Indiana traffic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – New federal data shows more workers are forming unions in Indiana.

The National Labor Relations Board released statistics after the end of the 2024 fiscal year, which ended in September. This shows that the number of petitions for union elections has almost tripled in the past three years.

In 2021, the NLRB received 23 petitions and in 2024 that increased to 66. That’s an increase of approximately 187%.

The data also shows that unfair labor practice complaints in Indiana increased by 35% during that period.

According to the NLRB, the trend extends beyond the Hoosier State. National facts shows that the number of petitions has more than doubled in the same period.

The Midwest saw the largest increase in filings compared to any other region, according to the agency’s analysis. Since 2021, they are up 138%.

Marquita Walker, interim chair and associate professor in the Department of Labor Studies at Indiana University, says she expects the trend to continue.

“This is a time when the collective has become very important to workers,” Walker said. “In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the interest that some workers had just spread has become stronger and more intense.”

According to Walker, the increase is likely due to a number of factors.

First, she says the Biden administration has filled several vacancies at the NLRB. This step made it easier to reduce the backlog of cases.

More important in Walker’s eyes, however, is a decision the agency made a little more than a year ago in a case involving Cemex, a construction company based in Mexico. Employees attempted to form unions at the company’s Southern California facilities.

In the decision, the agency ruled that companies must respond to union election notices.

“It’s not like employers like to do that,” Walker said. “It’s because the law now says they have to do that. The law was changed just over a year ago to promote the certification of union elections.”

Walker expects more workers will try to form unions in the coming years. She attributes this to the momentum created by many high-profile strikes throughout the country.

The professor also adds that several pro-worker statements resulting from Biden’s admission are contributing to the trend.

However, Walker says this is part of a common cycle of power between unions and private companies. She expects the increase will eventually decrease.

“This is a good time for organization,” Walker said. “But I suspect that within the next decade, employers’ efforts will find ways to avoid … boring decisions like the Cemex decision.”

Employees of Indiana Box Company in Greenfield are the latest workers in the Indianapolis metro area to file to form a union. They submitted theirs petition on October 17, a petition that is not included in the NLRB numbers.