The Faster Labor Contracts Act Clears the House

On June 9, the House passed the Faster Labor Contracts Act, 230-193. Every non-union employer should understand what this horrendous law would do.

The bill targets first-contract bargaining. Unions argue employers stall until support fades. There is little empirical evidence of that, but the FLCA would force the timeline anyway.

Here is the gist. Employers would have to start bargaining within 10 days of certification. If there is no first contract in 90 days, either side can demand mediation. If mediation fails, the dispute goes to binding interest arbitration, where an arbitrator, not the parties, imposes a two-year contract.

That last piece is the radical part. For the first time, a third party could dictate the terms of a private-sector collective bargaining agreement.

To all those who say this system works in government, you’re comparing apples to oranges. Having a union that knows nothing about the company you built over decades how you must run your company is absurd. Unions do not care about efficiency or profitability.

The bill now needs 60 votes in the Senate. Three Republicans, Hawley, Moreno, and Marshall, have signed on. It is unclear whether seven more will follow, or whether President Trump would sign it.

To me, this would be one of the biggest changes to federal labor law in decades, and a powerful new incentive to organize.

Reminds me of EFCA and the PRO Act – both of which narrowly failed enactment. Hopefully this will too.