Action Call: Ensure Workers Can Secure a Fair First Contract!

When workers come together to form a union, they are standing up for better wages, stronger
benefits, safer workplaces, and a voice on the job. But even after workers successfully organize and
win a union election, many employers deliberately drag out first contract negotiations in an effort to
weaken support for the union and deny workers the improvements they fought for.

Current labor law gives employers far too much room to stall negotiations without meaningful consequences. According to an analysis from Bloomberg Law, it now takes an average of 465 days,
nearly 16 months, to reach a first contract after a union election is certified, and in 53 percent of
cases, workers still do not have a contract after one year.

The bipartisan H.R. 5408, the Faster Labor Contracts Act, addresses this imbalance by
establishing a clearer timeline for reaching a first collective bargaining agreement after a union is
certified. Specifically, the measure would require bargaining to begin within 10 days of a certified
union election, move stalled negotiations into mediation after 90 days, and send unresolved disputes
to binding arbitration after 30 days in mediation.

H.R. 5408 was previously stalled in committee, but it is now moving forward after a discharge petition
(usw.to/5nR) reached the required 218 signatures to force a vote on the House floor.

Workers who exercise their right to organize deserve a fair path to achieving a contract; not endless
obstruction designed to wear them down. That is why Congress must pass H.R. 5408.

Click Here to Urge Your U.S. Representative to Support H.R. 5408, the Faster Labor Contracts Act!