USW Applauds House Passage of Faster Labor Contracts Act

Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, [email protected], 412-562-2444

(Pittsburgh) – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Roxanne Brown issued the following statement today after the U.S. House passed the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R. 5408), setting a roadmap for efficiently reaching a first contract after workers organize:

“Tens of thousands of workers across the United States are eagerly joining together, organizing into labor unions so they can negotiate fair wages, better benefits, safer workplaces and a voice on the job.

“Yet even after workers win their union elections, employers are still able to throw up road blocks, dragging out the process of negotiating a first contract in a continuing effort to undercut workers’ power. Indeed, it currently takes an average of nearly 16 months to bargain a first deal.

“The USW applauds the bipartisan passage of H.R. 5408. This vital legislation sets a clear timeline for reaching a first contract, including mandating that bargaining begin within 10 days of a certified union election.

“We now call on the Senate to also swiftly pass this bill so workers can continue to improve their working conditions and exercise their rights on the job.”

The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

###