Activists deliver constituent message to Reps. Bacon, Bresnahan, and Fitzpatrick: Oppose the bill — and don’t sign the discharge petition
ARLINGTON, VA — Americans for Prosperity (AFP) today escalated its opposition to the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R. 5408 / S. 844), with grassroots activists visiting the district offices of Reps. Don Bacon (NE-02), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) to urge them to oppose the bill and refuse to sign any discharge petition that would bring it to the floor.
The legislation would force employers to begin contract negotiations within 10 days of a union vote and impose a 90-day deadline to reach a deal — after which a federal arbitrator would step in and impose binding terms on workers and businesses alike.
“This bill puts a 100-day stopwatch on one of the most consequential decisions a workplace ever makes — and then hands the final call to a stranger who has never set foot inside the building. That isn’t fairness, and it isn’t faster bargaining. It’s rushed bargaining, with an outside arbitrator deciding pay, schedules, and working conditions for people whose jobs and businesses they don’t know,” said Austen Bannan, labor policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity.
“Workers deserve a contract they can actually live with — not one written under an artificial clock that benefits union leadership the moment the ink dries, because that’s when dues start flowing. AFP activists are showing up in Nebraska and Pennsylvania this week to tell Reps. Bacon, Bresnahan, and Fitzpatrick what real workers in their districts are saying: oppose this bill, and don’t sign the discharge petition,” Bannan continued.
AFP activists hand-delivered constituent letters at each office, highlighting three core problems with the legislation:
- An unworkable timeline. Even employers acting in complete good faith need time to analyze union demands and weigh the legal, financial, and operational implications of any agreement. A 100-day window from first vote to binding resolution produces rushed contracts, not better ones.
- Arbitrators with no stake in the outcome. Binding arbitration hands final authority over workplace terms to a third party with no real understanding of local labor markets, specific business conditions, or the workplace itself.
- A process that serves union leadership first. Union dues don’t come out of worker paychecks until a contract is signed — meaning the faster a deal is forced through, the faster union bosses start collecting.
Last month, AFP sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to oppose the legislation and calling out how the proposal directly undermines worker empowerment. AFP is continuing constituent outreach across additional battleground districts in the weeks ahead.
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Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation’s premier grassroots organization, advancing economic freedom and opportunity for all Americans. Reaching millions of activists across all 50 states, AFP champions policies that lift up every American. For more information, visit AmericansForProsperity.org.