Region 5 Announces Results in Defenders of Wildlife Election

Baltimore, Maryland—Region 5 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) completed a vote count on September 14, 2021 in a union election involving employees at Defenders of Wildlife, choosing whether or not to be represented by the Office of Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2. The employees participated in a “Sonotone” election in which a smaller group of “professional” employees also had to vote on whether or not to join the same bargaining unit as the “nonprofessional” employees. The resultant Tally of Ballots shows the following results:

Professional Workers:

Professional and Nonprofessional workers:

A majority of the valid votes counted plus challenged ballots has been cast for the Petitioner, the Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 2.

The ballot count was conducted by a NLRB Region 5 employee at the Baltimore, Maryland office. The results of this count were certified on September 22, 2021.

Established in 1935, the National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees, employers, and unions from unfair labor practices and protects the right of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve wages, benefits and working conditions. The NLRB conducts hundreds of workplace elections and investigates thousands of unfair labor practice charges each year. Region 5 serves areas in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia from its Regional Office in Baltimore and its Resident Office in the District of Columbia.