Faster Labor Contracts Act
Key claim: The Faster Labor Contracts Act would require initial CBA talks to start within 10 days of union recognition, allow FMCS mediation after 90 days, and impose binding arbitration if mediation fails, producing a two-year contract while freezing existing terms during negotiations.
Abstract
(HR5408 · 119th Congress) Faster Labor Contracts Act This bill establishes mandatory deadlines for parties negotiating an initial collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and provides for mediation and arbitration to finalize CBAs. Under the bill, CBA negotiations must begin within 10 days after an employer receives a written request from a newly recognized or certified bargaining representative. The bill provides that parties must make every reasonable effort to conclude and sign a CBA. Further, the bill provides that, if the parties have not reached an agreement after 90 days, either party may request mediation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The bill directs FMCS to use its best efforts to secure an agreement. If mediation does not result in an agreement within 30 days (or an additional period agreed to by both parties), FMSC must refer the parties to an arbitration panel to render a decision settling the dispute. The panel must consider specified factors, including the employer’s financial prospects and employees’ cost of living. The resulting CBA is binding on the parties for two years. (Parties may agree to amend the terms during the two-year period.) The bill specifies that (1) an employer must maintain current wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment during negotiations; and (2) an employer’s duty to collectively bargain continues even if a representative has been decertified. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress regarding the average number of days between the certification or recognition of a bargaining representative and the date the initial CBA was executed. Latest action (2026-06-10): Received in the Senate.
Why this matters
First contracts after union recognition frequently stall for a year or more, and roughly a third of newly certified units never reach an agreement. By imposing hard bargaining deadlines and defaulting to binding arbitration, the Act would materially shift leverage toward newly organized workers and force employers into faster, structured negotiations — one of the most consequential procedural changes to U.S. private-sector labor law in decades if enacted.