On October 1, IEC and 44 employer organizations led by the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace sent a letter to the House of Representatives advising that they oppose the Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA), which would impose mandatory arbitration on the private sector and allow the federal government to mandate terms of contracts between unions and companies.
On September 16, Reps. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) and Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) introduced the FLCA (H.R. 5408) in the House, along with The bill has been criticized as a sop to unions that will result in stripping workers and employers of their right to freely negotiate workplace conditions.
Of note, the FLCA imposes a 10-day period for an employer and union to begin collective bargaining agreement negotiations following a representation election. It also requires that a bargaining agreement be finalized in 90 days. The consequences for not obtaining such an agreement will likely be mandatory, binding arbitration, which will allow the federal government to set the terms of private contracts and workplace rules without the input or consent from the employees, employers or unions involved in contract negotiations.
On March 26, IEC signed on to a CDW letter of opposition to this bill introduced in the Senate (S. 844) by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), which currently has no Republican cosponsors. Hawley has come under fire from business organizations and free enterprise watchdogs for supporting pro-union policies outlined in a document called A Pro-Worker Framework for the 119th Congress, released in January 2025.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), held a hearing October 8, Labor Law Reform Part 1: Diagnosing the Issues, Exploring Current Proposals. Sen. Hawley is a member of this committee, and the FLCA and many labor proposals were
The committee discussed the IEC-supported National Right to Work Act (NRTWA) (S. 533), and the IEC-opposed Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (H.R.20 / S.852), the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA) (H.R.4896 / S. 2613), and other proposals that would harm small businesses and merit shop contractors and workers.