Faster Labor Contracts Act
Sponsored By: Senator Josh Hawley
Introduced
Summary
This bill would "speed up first-contract bargaining" by imposing strict timelines and a clear path from initial talks to mediation and binding arbitration. It pushes newly recognized unions and employers to move from recognition to a signed collective bargaining agreement much faster than current practice.
Show full summary
- Newly certified representatives and workers would get a meeting within 10 days after a written request and a 90-day window to reach an initial contract.
- If talks stall, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service would mediate and, if mediation begun within that window fails within 30 days, a three-person arbitration panel issues a binding decision that stands for 2 years. Arbitrators must weigh employer finances, business size, employees' cost of living and ability to support families, and comparable wages in the industry.
- The Comptroller General would have to report to Congress within one year on the average number of days between certification and the first contract.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Faster bargaining start for workers
If enacted, your employer would have to meet and start bargaining within 10 days after a written request from a newly recognized or certified union. Your current pay, hours, and job terms would have to stay the same while you bargain for a first contract. The employer would still have a duty to bargain unless the representative is later decertified after an election.
Faster mediation and binding arbitration
If enacted, either side could ask the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for mediation if no initial contract is reached after the 90-day bargaining window. FMCS would have to try to mediate quickly. If mediation begun within that window fails within 30 days, the dispute would go to a three-person arbitration panel. Each side picks one panel member and they pick a neutral, or FMCS picks members if needed. The panel's majority decision would be binding for two years unless both sides agree to change it. Arbitrators would have to consider employer finances, company size, employee cost of living, employees' ability to support dependents, and comparable pay in the industry.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Josh Hawley
MO • R
Cosponsors
Cory Booker
NJ • D
Sponsored 3/4/2025
Gary Peters
MI • D
Sponsored 3/4/2025
Bernie Moreno
OH • R
Sponsored 3/4/2025
Jeff Merkley
OR • D
Sponsored 3/4/2025
Elissa Slotkin
MI • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Ruben Gallego
AZ • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Sponsored 9/18/2025
Mark Kelly
AZ • D
Sponsored 9/29/2025
Timothy Kaine
VA • D
Sponsored 10/16/2025
Lisa Blunt Rochester
DE • D
Sponsored 10/30/2025
Maggie Hassan
NH • D
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Jon Ossoff
GA • D
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Michael Bennet
CO • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Kirsten Gillibrand
NY • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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