Congress·In Committee·S. 844

Bipartisan Senate Bill Requires Binding Arbitration to End Long Delays for New Union Contracts

Faster Labor Contracts Act

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill creates a strict timeline for employers and newly formed unions to agree on their first contract. Right now, it takes an average of 465 days for new unions to get a deal. The bill's sponsors, including Senator Hawley and Senator Booker, say these long delays allow companies to stall and weaken the union's power.
Under the new rules, both sides must start talking within 10 days of a request. If they haven't reached a deal after 90 days, they can bring in a federal mediator to help. If there is still no deal after another 30 days of mediation, the case goes to a three-person panel for a final, binding decision.
The three-person panel would include one person chosen by the union, one by the employer, and one neutral member. Their decision on wages and benefits would stay in place for two years. They would base their decision on the company’s profits, the local cost of living, and what similar jobs in the area pay.
This change would mostly affect workers who have just voted to join a union but do not have a legal contract yet. It aims to ensure that a vote for a union leads to better pay and benefits quickly, rather than getting stuck in months or years of negotiations.

Labor Employment

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 4, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Mar 4, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 1 year of enactment

GAO report on average time-to-contract submitted to Congress

Congress would receive data on how long it actually takes new unions to get first contracts after the law passes, helping measure whether the reforms are working.

Related News

3 articles

Politico·about 1 year ago

Hawley’s new bill prevents employers from stalling union negotiations

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Faster Labor Contracts Act, a bipartisan proposal with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) that would require employers to begin bargaining with unions within 10 days of a successful election and face binding arbitration if no deal is reached within 120 days.

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Axios·12 months ago

Hawley's bill speeds up union elections by removing guardrails

The Faster Labor Contracts Act, introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley, aims to fast-track the union contract process by imposing a strict 100-day limit from election to completion. Critics argue the bill removes necessary guardrails that prevent workers from being railroaded into unions.

Bloomberg Law·about 1 year ago

Fast Track to a First Contract: Senator Proposes Faster Labor Contracts Act

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) proposed the Faster Labor Contracts Act to address the lengthy 458-day average it takes for unions and management to reach a first agreement. The bill includes mandatory mediation and binding arbitration provisions.

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