After spending much of last year frozen in place, the U.S. agency that polices workplace rights is stirring back to life—and it is doing so with a very different balance of power.
The National Labor Relations Board enters 2026 with a newly installed Republican majority, setting the stage for sharp turns away from the union-friendly approach that defined the previous administration. The change follows months of paralysis triggered when the board lost its quorum, leaving hundreds of routine disputes stuck in limbo and sparking an unusually blunt debate over how independent the agency really is.
That logjam broke late last year when the Senate cleared multiple nominees backed by President Donald Trump, restoring the board’s ability to act and cementing conservative control for the first time in several years. With that, a reset is underway.
A rethink of recent labor policy
Over the past few years, the board handed down decisions that delighted labor groups and alarmed employers. Those moves widened access to union representation, restricted certain employer tactics during organizing drives, and expanded financial remedies for workers who were wrongfully dismissed. Business groups accused the agency of stretching long-standing rules beyond recognition.
Now, the pendulum is expected to swing back. While the board traditionally moves cautiously and avoids scrapping past rulings without broad agreement, the new lineup can still narrow how earlier decisions are applied. Even small adjustments could significantly change the day-to-day calculus for organizing campaigns and workplace disputes.
Elections back in the spotlight
Union victories surged during the last administration, reaching industries that had long resisted organizing efforts. Much of that success was fueled by procedural changes that sped up elections and reduced opportunities for employers to stall results through extended challenges.
Those rules are now prime targets for reversal. The board is expected to revisit measures that fast-tracked elections and made it harder to dissolve existing unions. A return to earlier practices could give skeptics of organized labor more room to contest union representation—and slow momentum that had been building across new sectors.
Independence under scrutiny
Beyond policy, the board faces a deeper test: how insulated it truly is from political pressure. Its structure was designed to shield decision-makers from sudden removal, a safeguard meant to keep case outcomes separate from shifts in the White House.
That assumption is being reexamined after recent court rulings supported the president’s authority to dismiss board members. A pending Supreme Court decision in a closely related regulatory dispute could ripple across the federal system, potentially reshaping how independent agencies operate. Critics warn that even the perception of influence from the executive branch could erode trust in the board’s judgments.
Challenges to the system itself
At the same time, the agency is defending its very design. Major companies have mounted coordinated challenges questioning whether the board’s combined investigative and decision-making role passes constitutional muster. Several of those cases are expected to reach key milestones this year.
Adverse rulings could force lawmakers to consider sweeping reforms—ranging from creating a specialized labor court to sending more disputes directly into the federal judiciary. Any such change would mark the most significant overhaul of workplace enforcement in decades.
For now, one thing is clear: with new leadership and unresolved questions about its authority, the labor board is heading into a year that could redefine how workplace conflicts are handled in the United States.
