Union Auto Workers Job Protection Act
The Union Auto Workers Job Protection Act would require federal agencies to collect and disclose detailed plant-level information about motor vehicle plants involved in any vehicle purchase or assembly under a covered contract. This includes plant addresses, descriptions of what each plant produces, wage data (average, minimum, and maximum hourly wages), numbers of temporary employees, and disclosures of labor relations and workplace safety violations. The bill also requires that any changes to the plant used for a contract be approved in writing by the relevant agency, with the proposed plant’s information provided and labor organizations notified of the change. In addition, the bill would require awardees to maintain a neutral stance toward labor organizing. A separate provision targets the Postal Service’s procurement of delivery vehicles. It would bar federal spending on those purchases unless Oshkosh Defense agrees that a bona fide union neutrality agreement is material to government payments and certifies it will implement such an agreement covering all production employees under the contract. Overall, the measure ties federal procurement to labor transparency and neutrality commitments.
Key Points
- 1Bid information requirements: Agencies must collect and include for each motor vehicle plant in a bid the plant’s mailing address, production details, and wage data (average, minimum, maximum), plus counts of temporary employees and disclosures of NLRA and OSHA violations.
- 2Contract requirements: If an awardee wants to use a different plant than specified, they must seek written agency permission and provide the same plant data and violations disclosures for the proposed site; they must also notify affected labor organizations and include a neutrality policy toward labor organizing.
- 3Definitions: The bill defines “covered contract” as a contract relating to vehicle assembly, and clarifies terms like “motor vehicle plant,” “motor vehicle assembly employer,” and “labor organization.”
- 4Section 3 – federal spending prohibition: No federal funds for delivery vehicle purchases may be obligated unless the Postal Service requires Oshkosh Defense to treat a bona fide union neutrality agreement as material to payment decisions and certify it will comply with such an agreement covering all contract production employees.
- 5Scope and purpose: The act focuses on increasing transparency about where vehicles are assembled and the labor conditions at those plants, while ensuring neutrality in labor organizing as a condition of certain federal payments.