Employment Relations Board reports caseload surge, funding mix and shrinking arbitrator pool

Adam Reiner, chair of the Employment Relations Board (ERB), told the committee that the board’s workload has increased sharply since the Janus decision and subsequent state statutes. He detailed which statutes ERB administers and said filings (hearings and elections) have climbed from roughly 60–70 annually before 2021 to about 157 so far in the current fiscal year. “We've gone from 60, some filings a year to almost a 160, currently,” Reiner said, describing how particular large, high‑conflict matters (for example, disputes involving Portland Public Schools and Portland Community College) concentrate staff time and complicate capacity planning.