The Association sent a letter to Speaker Johnson (R-LA) and the House of Representatives urging them to oppose a recently filed petition to fast track the Faster Labor Contracts Act.
Why it matters: The bill would force employers to accept collective bargaining agreement terms written by government arbitrators in a drastic change to current labor law.
Background: The Faster Labor Contracts Act (S. 844) (FLCA), introduced last spring, would require employers and unions to allow government arbitrators to write initial collective bargaining agreements if the two parties are unable to come to an agreement themselves within 120 days. The Association originally voiced its opposition to the bill in a 2025 letter to the Senate.
A discharge petition aims to bypass committee gridlock: Last week, Rep. Norcross (D-NJ) filed a discharge petition in an attempt to speed the legislation’s passage. Discharge petitions allow bills to be advanced without approval from the committee of jurisdiction (i.e., they force a quicker vote on bills).
Our letter: The Association reiterated its previous opposition to the FLCA, highlighting several practical and legal concerns, including:
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Employers, workers, and unions have the best understanding of what is most effective for their respective workplaces, not government arbitrators.
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Our letter also emphasized that a discharge petition is procedurally inappropriate for consequential legislation such as the FLCA, as it bypasses “necessary legislative procedures such as hearings and committee markups, as well as negates the opportunity to solicit valuable stakeholder input.”
The bottom line: The discharge petition is unlikely to receive 218 signatures. Even if it does, the FLCA is extremely unlikely to pass in the current Congress.
However, should Democrats take one or both chambers in the midterms, the bill’s chances will improve significantly, particularly given its support by certain pro-labor Senate Republicans such as Sens. Hawley (R-MO) (the bill’s author) and Moreno (R-OH).
