On April 29, Americans for Prosperity submitted a letter to Members of Congress urging opposition to the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R. 5408 / S. 844) and ongoing efforts to force the bill onto the House floor using a discharge petition.
Touted as a pro-worker solution, in reality, this legislation is lifted from the harmful PRO Act and would undermine worker choice and democratic representation. It would strip workers of a fundamental choice: the ability to decide whether the terms of a labor contract actually serve their interests. If negotiations over a first bargaining contract fail to yield a contract amidst a high pressure, highly shortened negotiation timeline, the Faster Labor Contracts Act would force the use of government-mandated arbitrators who would unilaterally impose binding contract terms. Workers, and their businesses, would be locked into a contract without workers ever having the opportunity to approve or reject the agreement.
Instead of being pro-worker, this process aids union leaders who have an incentive to rush contracts into existence regardless of the contracts’ terms. Why? Unions don’t get to start deducting dues from worker paychecks until a contract is reached, creating a lucrative, ulterior motive for union leaders to get a contract no matter how it affects workers or a business. It would be better to name this legislation the Forced Labor Contracts Act.
Equally troubling is the effort by union leaders and congressional supporters to advance a discharge petition, cutting out committee review and debate on what would be a major and troubling change to labor law.
You can read AFP’s letter to Congress here.
Austen Bannan is an Employment Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity.
