Faster Labor Contracts Act

The Faster Labor Contracts Act amends the National Labor Relations Act to speed up the process of reaching a first collective bargaining agreement after a union is certified or recognized. It sets strict timelines for bargaining, mediation, and binding arbitration if no agreement is reached.

Sec. 3, Facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements: This section adds new rules to the National Labor Relations Act for first contracts. Within 10 days of a written bargaining request, parties must meet and bargain. If no agreement is reached after 90 days, either party can request mediation from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. If mediation fails after 30 more days, the dispute goes to a 3-person arbitration panel. The panel's decision is binding for 2 years and must consider factors like the employer's finances, employee cost of living, and industry wages.

Sec. 4, GAO report examining average workplace time-to-contract: Within one year of this Act's enactment, the Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the average number of days between union certification or recognition and the signing of an initial collective bargaining agreement.