CHRO Association Opposes Faster Labor Contracts Act, Now in Senate

After the House passed the Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA) on June 9, Senator Josh Hawley (R‑MO)—the leading sponsor of the legislation in the Senate—praised the bill during an NLRB-related hearing.

Two Senate Republicans are listed as cosponsors: Bernie Moreno (OH) and Roger Marshall (KS). As many as eight Republican senators support the bill.

Our advocacy: We are actively engaging HELP Committee senators to urge opposition to the legislation on behalf of our members.

The FLCA allows the government to write initial collective bargaining terms if unions and employers can't come to an agreement after a certain period of time. In short, federally mandated arbitrators could determine wages, incentives, benefits, scheduling, termination standards, PTO, remote-work rules, and retirement plan structure—with no meaningful ability to appeal.

• Bargaining must begin within 10 days of certification

• If no agreement in 90 days, the parties move to mediation

• If mediation fails after 30 days, the parties enter government-imposed binding arbitration

If there is no agreement within 120 days, the federal government could impose binding contract terms for up to two years – without employer approval or a union vote. This is significant because first contract terms often remain in place for decades.