On April 20, a discharge petition was filed on the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which would allow the bill to bypass the committee and go straight to the floor for a vote. The FLCA would allow federal government-appointed arbitrators to set the terms of first contracts between unions and companies if the parties do not voluntarily come to an agreement on terms within very short time frames. CDW urges members of Congress not to sign the discharge petition.

The following can be attributed to CDW Chair Kristen Swearingen:

“We urge every member of Congress to refuse to sign the discharge petition on the Faster Labor Contracts Act. The FLCA is big government at its worst. The bill would allow government arbitrators to impose contract terms on private parties without any accountability. Business owners and workers would have no recourse against the government if the arbitrator guesses wrong on what terms are affordable, which could result in companies being forced to close up shop or workers getting laid off. Small business owners and workers will be the ones left holding the bag.

“The FLCA is all about increasing union leverage even if it harms workers, and the bill would encourage unions to be unreasonable in order to position themselves favorably before arbitrators. A recent study by Mercatus outlines in clear terms the real consequences for employees of union overreach at the bargaining table – best exemplified by the recent fallout of UPS’s contract with the Teamsters. According to Mercatus, UPS ‘has eliminated 48,000 operational jobs, announced plans to cut another 30,000 positions, and closed or consolidated more than 100 facilities’ since signing its 2023 ‘historic’ contract.

“The FLCA also violates the Constitution and is an unprecedented intrusion against Americans’ right to contract for themselves. Members of Congress who sign this discharge petition are not standing up for workers; they are cutting workers out of the very process that is supposed to protect them. We urge Congress to reject this petition and protect workers, employers, and the American economy from this unprecedented expansion of federal power.”