ABC: The Faster Labor Contracts Act Is Not a Pro-Worker Policy

For Immediate Release

Contact: Erika Walter, ABC | ewalter@abc.org

ABC: The Faster Labor Contracts Act Is Not a Pro-Worker Policy

WASHINGTON, March 4—Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement responding to Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., on their introduction of the Faster Labor Contracts Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.

The bill would impose unrealistic, arbitrary deadlines requiring employers to reach an agreement in first contract negotiations with newly elected unions or face “binding interest arbitration,” which eviscerates “voluntary agreement,” a primary tenet of U.S. labor law. Under mandatory arbitration, contracts would be imposed on workers, employers and unions with no vote on the final product.

“Giving bureaucrats the authority to force two parties to come to agreement is egregious and has never before been done in the private sector,” said ABC CEO Michael Bellaman. “The parties, not the government, should determine the terms and conditions of employment.

“It may happen that in good faith negotiations, an agreement might not be possible, and therefore, the government should not insert itself in the negotiations. The two parties should have the choice to walk away if the agreement isn’t a win-win, and not be legally bound to a contract for two years.

“Sen. Hawley has chosen to pursue the most egregious provision of the ABC-opposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act and deprive both employers and employees of their rights, and ABC calls on Congress to stop further advancement of this anti-worker policy today.”

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025, Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 23,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 67 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at abc.org.

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