A bipartisan bill that would impose strict federal timelines and mandatory binding arbitration on first union contract negotiations is now on a fast track to becoming law. The Faster Labor Contracts Act, which would amend the National Labor Relations Act for the first time in over 50 years and cause a sea change in the country’s established labor dynamic that has stood the test of time for almost a century, just cleared a major procedural hurdle and could reach the House floor in early June. And the way things are shaping up, there’s a real chance this bill could pass Congress and get signed into law in the near future. Here’s what’s happening and what employers need to do while we wait.
How We Got Here
The NLRA currently imposes no timeline for reaching a first contract, allowing employers to negotiate for months, or even years, in order to hammer out a fair deal. But opponents of the status quo point to data showing workers are forced to wait an average of 458 days before obtaining a first union contract.
H.R. 5408, also known as the Faster Labor Contracts Act, was introduced in the House last year by Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.). On May 20, the U.S. House reached the 218 signatures needed on a discharge petition that would advance the bill a floor vote in the coming weeks.
What the Bill Actually Does
The legislation would amend the National Labor Relations Act to impose a compressed, federally mandated timeline on first-contract negotiations in the private sector....
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