Last night, Rep. Donald Norcross’ (D-NJ) discharge petition on the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R. 5408) reached the 218 signatures needed to force a vote on the House floor. The final signatories on the petition were all labor-friendly Republicans: Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Riley Moore (R-WV), and Nick LaLota (R-NY).
H.R. 5408 would amend the National Labor Relations Act to require that once a labor organization is certified and requests collective bargaining, an employer must generally begin negotiations within 10 days. If after 90 days the parties have failed to reach agreement, either party may notify and request mediation by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Now that the Faster Labor Contracts Act has reached the required 218 signatures, a vote is expected in June after lawmakers return to session following the Memorial Day recess.