Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)
WASHINGTON — Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced that he has won the support of the 218 lawmakers required to force a House vote on his Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA). His bill will speed up the process of finalizing a first contract between a newly certified union and its employer.
According to Bloomberg Law, it takes an average of 458 days for unions and employers to reach a first contract, and roughly a third of workers are forced to wait more than three years. The FLCA, which Norcross introduced last September, would establish deadlines for when employers must start and end negotiations with a new union and give workers access to third-party mediation if a new contract is not signed within that timeframe.
In April, Norcross filed a discharge petition for the FLCA as the bill had enough bipartisan support to indicate it would pass if House Speaker Mike Johnson allowed a vote on the House floor. A discharge petition is a parliamentary tool that allows representatives to force a vote on legislation as long as a majority of House members agree. Historically, only a small fraction of discharge petitions have achieved majority support; Norcross’ coalition of 218 supporters includes 211 Democrats and 7 Republicans.
“For my entire lifetime, workers have had no recourse when employers make new unions wait years for their first contract. Those days are coming to an end,” Norcross said. “With the House now poised to crack down on bad-faith stall tactics from executives, the message to everyone should be clear: Workers’ rights make the American dream possible, and Democrats are capable and determined to force the issue.”
“Once again, House Democrats are governing in the minority as if we’re in the majority and successfully forced a vote on legislation to make life better for the American people. The Faster Labor Contracts Act will soon pass on the Floor of the House of Representatives, strengthening worker protections and compelling employers to come to the table,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “At a time when the right to organize is under assault, it is unacceptable that when hardworking Americans come together to form a workplace union, employers can stifle that progress by refusing to bargain. I thank Congressman Norcross for his leadership and for standing up for working families across the country.”
“Securing the support needed to move the Faster Labor Contracts Act forward is a significant milestone for millions of Teamsters and workers across this country,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “This is one of the most consequential labor bills to come before Congress in generations. It has the potential to hold Corporate America accountable for endlessly dragging out negotiations and denying workers the first union contracts they deserve. The Teamsters Union thanks every Democrat and Republican who signed the discharge petition and made the choice to stand with workers.”
“This is the second time this Congress that a discharge petition to restore or strengthen collective bargaining rights has won the support of a majority in the House,” said Jody Calemine, Advocacy Director of the AFL-CIO. “It simply underscores that this country is in dire need of and hungry for labor law reform. Working people are struggling to afford even the basics and a union is a tried and true way to bargain for a better life and get ahead.”
Now that Norcross’ discharge petition has earned the required majority support, seven legislative days must pass before a vote can be formally forced. Once that discharge motion is formally offered, the Speaker of the House is then required to schedule floor debate within two legislative days.
The FLCA is endorsed by more than twenty unions and advocates for workers’ rights. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has introduced companion bipartisan legislation in the Senate.
Norcross, the only union electrician serving in Congress, is a co-chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus and a lifelong champion for workers’ rights. He successfully passed out of the House a provision in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act to overturn President Trump’s executive order which stripped Defense Department employees’ collective bargaining rights. He was also an original cosponsor of the House-passed Protecting America’s Workforce Act, and has previously helped pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in the House.
Full text of Norcross’ bill can be found here, while a one-pager can be found here.
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