Faster Labor Contracts Act
Faster Labor Contracts Act would push to shorten the time it takes to finalize a first collective bargaining agreement after a labor organization is certified or recognized as the employees’ representative. The bill would create a defined, accelerated process: the parties must begin bargaining within 10 days of a written request, have a focused 90-day window to reach an agreement, and use mediation and then, if needed, a 3-person arbitration panel to issue a binding decision within a short timeframe. The arbitration decision would be binding for two years. Additionally, the bill requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report within one year on the average time from certification/recognition to the initial contract. The changes are designed to reduce lengthy post-election delays and speed up the establishment of the first contract, with a framework that emphasizes mediation and arbitration if voluntary bargaining stalls. What this means in practice: once a union is recognized or certified, the employer and employees (via the union) would face concrete deadlines and a prescribed path to resolve bargaining deadlocks more quickly than under existing law. The bill also aims to maintain current wages and terms pending agreement and preserves the duty to bargain until decertification occurs, while introducing a binding, externally mediated/arbitered resolution if negotiations fail to produce a contract in the allotted time.
Key Points
- 1Accelerated bargaining timeline after certification/recognition:
- 2- Parties must meet and begin bargaining within 10 days of a written demand, and pursue a good-faith effort to conclude a first contract.
- 3- A 90-day period is established for reaching an initial agreement, with additional time only by mutual agreement.
- 4Mediation and arbitration as a built-in escalation path:
- 5- If no agreement after 90 days, either party can request mediation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which must actively work toward a settlement.
- 6- If mediation fails within 30 days, a 3-person arbitration panel (one party-appointed member, one employer-appointed member, and one neutral member) issues a binding decision after a majority vote.
- 7- The arbitration decision is binding for two years unless the parties amend it in writing.
- 8Factors for arbitration decisions:
- 9- The panel may consider the employer’s financial status, the size and type of operation, employees’ cost of living, employees’ ability to sustain themselves, and wages/benefits in similar industries.
- 10Clarifications to bargaining duties and protections for current terms:
- 11- Clarifies that the employer’s duty to bargain continues unless there is decertification following an election under section 9.
- 12- Requires maintaining current wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment pending an agreement.
- 13Oversight and reporting:
- 14- A GAO report must be submitted within one year on the average number of days from certification/recognition to the signing of an initial contract.