Wednesday (November 30, 2011) to streamline the union election process, which will likely allow employees to unionize more quickly. The approved resolution, which still must receive a final vote before becoming a rule, was a fairly-tempered proposal compared to the sweeping changes put forward in the Federal Register this summer.

The text of the rule has yet to be finalized, but one of the more noteworthy changes is the elimination of pre-election appeals to the NLRB which would streamline the voting process. Also, the proposal limits the issues that can be argued before a pre-election hearing officer. Originally, the proposed rule required employers to provide the voter list within two days of filing the petition. That proposal was dropped, however, from the approved measure. The current seven-working-day rule is still in effect.

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