Washington, D.C. — Today, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Faster Labor Contracts Act, legislation Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) cosponsored to stop unnecessary roadblocks preventing recently unionized workers from securing a fair first contract.
Goodlander also helped lead the charge on rallying support for the 218 members of the House needed on the discharge petition that forced the Speaker of the House to allow a vote on the House floor.
“When workers put in the hard and essential work to form a union, they should not be met with endless delay tactics and stonewalling — it’s just not right,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “The bipartisan bill that we passed in the House today is about about basic fairness, and about making the promise of collective bargaining a reality. I was proud to cosponsor this bipartisan bill, rally the 218 signatures we needed to force a vote, and pass it in the House today.”
On average, it takes workers more than 450 days to secure a first contract after forming a union. While employers are already required by law to bargain in good faith, bad actors can exploit gaps in enforcement to drag out negotiations and undermine workers’ rights.
The Faster Labor Contracts Act would require employers to begin bargaining within 10 days after workers vote to form a union. If no agreement is reached within 90 days, negotiations would move to mediation. If mediation fails after 30 days, the dispute would proceed to binding arbitration to secure a fair first contract.
The bill is endorsed by major labor organizations, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Laborers’ International Union of North America, United Steelworkers, and others. Goodlander and her House colleagues worked closely on the bill with SEA/SEIU Local 1984, which represents more than 10,000 public and private sector workers, and Teamsters Local 633.
“This is a great day for labor and unions in the United States. This legislation will have a direct and immediate positive impact on our Local, as we work to help nurses in New Hampshire organize and get their first contract. We applaud Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander for her leadership and we thank all the members of Congress who supported this big bipartisan win,” said SEA / SEIU 1984 President Rich Gulla.
The discharge petition is a historically rare tool to force a full House vote on bills the Speaker of the House refuses to bring to the House floor. While it has typically been successful about once every decade, during the 119th Congress, Goodlander and her colleagues have successfully garnered enough signatures to force seven pieces of legislation to the floor. Discharge petitions Goodlander supported include the Ukraine Support Act, passed last week, and the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The Faster Labor Contracts Act now heads to the Senate.
###
