Union Auto Workers Job Protection Act
The Union Auto Workers Job Protection Act would impose new transparency and governance requirements on federal vehicle procurement, and tie certain federal funding to labor neutrality commitments. For any bid on a covered motor-vehicle contract, agencies would require detailed plant-level information (location, what is produced at each plant, and wage data, plus counts of temporary workers and disclosures of NLRA and OSHA violations). Likewise, contracts would demand that awardees obtain written permission before changing the plant used for production, provide plant-specific data when requesting permission, notify labor organizations affected by any plant change, and adopt a neutrality policy toward union organizing. In addition, the bill targets USPS vehicle purchases by prohibiting Federal funds from being obligated for delivery vehicles unless Oshkosh Defense (the contract partner) agrees that its performance is conditioned on a bona fide union neutrality agreement and certifies compliance with that neutrality agreement covering all production employees within the contract’s scope. The aim appears to be to ensure labor organizing rights are respected and that government payments are influenced by a contractor’s neutrality stance toward unions.
Key Points
- 1Bid information required: For each motor vehicle plant involved in a bid, agencies must collect the plant’s mailing address, a description of production, and wage data (average, minimum, and maximum hourly wages), plus the number of temporary non-permanent workers and any NLRA or OSHA violations at each plant.
- 2Contract information and change control: Contracts must include the plant-level information, require written permission to change the production plant, and include the plant data for the proposed new site. Contractors must notify any directly affected labor organization on the same day a change is requested, and the contract must require an explicit neutrality policy regarding labor organizing.
- 3Definitions: The bill defines terms such as covered contract (a contract relating to the assembly of a vehicle), executive agency, labor organization, motor vehicle, motor vehicle assembly employer, and motor vehicle plant.
- 4Section 3 – spending and neutrality condition: No federal funds may be used to purchase delivery vehicles unless the USPS change order with Oshkosh Defense requires that a bona fide union neutrality agreement is material to government payment decisions and that Oshkosh Defense certifies it will execute and comply with such a neutrality agreement covering all production employees within the contract’s scope.
- 5Purpose and scope: The bill focuses on federal procurement of motor vehicles, with particular emphasis on union-related protections and transparency in plant-level operations and staffing.