WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) released the following statement after the Faster Labor Contracts Act passed the full House of Representatives. Budzinski was an original cosponsor of the bill, which would speed up first contracts for new unions, ensuring that when workers vote to unionize, a collective bargaining agreement follows. Democrats successfully used a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill, joined by a handful of Republicans who broke with party leadership to support the effort.
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"Workers deserve the certainty of knowing they can secure a fair contract within a reasonable timeframe. Right now, there is no deadline for reaching a first contract, which allows employers to drag out negotiations for months—or even years—in the hope that workers will eventually give up. That's not fair. I've long been proud to support this legislation because working people deserve better, and I'm pleased to see it pass the House with bipartisan support,” said Budzinski.
The Faster Labor Contracts Act would amend Section 8(d) of the NLRA to require that:
After workers have voted to form a union, employers must begin negotiating with the new union within 10 days.
If no agreement is reached after 90 days, the dispute will be referred to mediation.
If mediation fails after 30 days, or additional periods agreed upon by both parties, the dispute will be referred to a binding 3-person arbitration panel to secure an initial contract.
The Government Accountability Office commissioned a report on the average workplace time-to-contract one year after enactment.
