ABC Sees Faster Labor Contracts Act as Anti-Worker Policy
Support among workers is divided as to the potential impact of the proposed Faster Labor Contracts Act and what it could mean for workers’ rights.
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The piece of legislation proposed by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., and co-sponsored by Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), seeks to amend the National Labor Relations Act to create a clear timetable for securing a fast union contract.
The Teamsters Union has thrown its weight in support of the proposal, while the Associated Builders and Contractors has voiced its opposition.
"Greedy corporations will stop at nothing to keep workers from getting a fair first contract," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "Their playbook is simple: stall, delay, and drag out negotiations to deny workers from securing the wages and conditions they deserve. Teamsters are proud to support the Faster Labor Contracts Act — real labor law reform that forces employers to bargain in good faith and holds them accountable when they don't."
However, according to ABC, the bill would impose unrealistic, arbitrary deadlines requiring employers to reach an agreement in first contract negotiations with newly elected unions or face “binding interest arbitration,” which eviscerates “voluntary agreement,” a primary tenet of U.S. labor law. Under mandatory arbitration, contracts would be imposed on workers, employers and unions with no vote on the final product.
“Giving bureaucrats the authority to force two parties to come to agreement is egregious and has never before been done in the private sector,” said ABC CEO Michael Bellaman. “The parties, not the government, should determine the terms and conditions of employment.
He pointed out that it may happen that in good faith negotiations, an agreement might not be possible, and therefore, the government should not insert itself in the negotiations.
“The two parties should have the choice to walk away if the agreement isn’t a win-win, and not be legally bound to a contract for two years,” Bellaman said. “Sen. Hawley has chosen to pursue the most egregious provision of the ABC-opposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act and deprive both employers and employees of their rights, and ABC calls on Congress to stop further advancement of this anti-worker policy today.”
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