The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is receiving a $23 million investment from the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) to modernize its case management system.
Funding under the agreement announced today will help NLRB implement a cloud-based solution as a replacement for its current outdated system. The new system will “dramatically improve” the agency’s ability to protect workers’ rights and process labor disputes, TMF said.
“This investment exemplifies the transformative power of strategic IT modernization,” said Federal CIO Clare Martorana, who chairs the TMF board. “By leveraging TMF, we’ve accelerated NLRB’s digital transformation, significantly enhancing its operational capabilities.”
“The shift to a cloud-based solution isn’t just replacing legacy infrastructure – it’s unlocking new levels of scalability, security, and accessibility,” Martorana said.
NLRB enforces labor laws in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices, processing over 22,000 cases and recovering over $56 million for workers in 2023. The board’s current 17-year-old system has led to worsening operational issues including “delays in case processing, reduced data reliability, and increased cybersecurity risks.”
“These technological challenges impact NLRB’s internal operations and affect its ability to provide justice for workers and resolution for employers,” said the General Services Administration (GSA), which runs TMF.
Modernization efforts will prioritize e-filing capabilities and enhance public access to critical information and case statutes, according to GSA. They will also enable and improve data analytics, decision-making, and resource allocation, while allowing for scalability so that NLRB “can readily adapt to future technological advancements and evolving labor landscape needs,” GSA said.
TMF, created in 2017 under the Modernizing Government Technology Act, provides funding for Federal civilian agencies’ tech modernization projects.
Most recently, TMF issued investments for the Department of Energy, the Federal Election Commission, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Education, and the Department of Commerce’s AI Safety Institute.
GSA has been fighting to maintain the program’s funding, with the agency saying earlier this summer that TMF is “on track to soon” exhaust the $1 billion one-time funding boost it received from Congress under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. In August, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously voted 27-0 to approve $25 million in funding for TMF in fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending legislation. The House appropriations bill for FY2025 does not include any new funding for TMF.
“It is essential that Congress provide resources to allow the TMF to continue to meet the growing demand for investments which address constantly evolving technology needs, threats, and advancements so that government can deliver better for the American people,” Robin Carnahan, the GSA administrator, said earlier this summer in a statement.
