Key Vote Alert – HOUSE & SENATE – “NO” ON THE FASTER LABOR CONTRACTS ACT

The Club for Growth urges all U.S. Representatives and Senators to vote NO on the Faster Labor Contracts Act (FCLA) and will include the vote in its 2026 congressional scorecard.

The Faster Labor Contracts Act, introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley, would dramatically expand federal control over private labor negotiations by forcing employers and newly certified unions into a rigid government-imposed timeline. The bill requires bargaining to begin within 10 days, triggers federal mediation if no agreement is reached within 90 days, and allows binding arbitration to impose a first contract if mediation fails.

This legislation is not pro-worker. It is a direct gift to Big Labor. Instead of allowing workers, employers, and unions to negotiate a voluntary agreement, the bill empowers government-appointed arbitrators to dictate wages, benefits, workplace rules, and contract terms. That is not collective bargaining; it is compulsory contracting enforced by the federal government.

The Faster Labor Contracts Act is Big Labor policy wrapped in populist packaging. Some Republicans may believe that siding with union bosses is an easy way to sound pro-worker, but that is political theater, not conservative policy. Real pro-worker policy expands freedom, choice, and opportunity. This bill does the opposite: it empowers union officials and government-appointed arbitrators to pressure businesses and bind workers to contracts they may not support. Conservatives should not mistake pro-union coercion for pro-worker reform.

The bill would also weaken worker choice. A federally imposed first contract could bind every worker in a bargaining unit, including workers who opposed unionization or disagree with the final contract terms. Workers should not be forced into a government-written agreement simply because union officials and arbitrators decide it is time to impose one.

The economic harm would fall on workers, too. Forcing employers into rushed negotiations and federally imposed contracts would raise labor costs, increase legal risk, and reduce business flexibility. When government makes it more expensive and difficult to hire, expand, or adapt, workers pay the price through fewer job opportunities, slower wage growth, reduced hours, and weaker long-term business investment.

This bill borrows from the same compulsory-union playbook as the PRO Act and other failed Big Labor priorities. It strengthens union leverage, pressures employers to accept terms they may never voluntarily agree to, and invites federal intervention into private workplaces. The result would be less flexibility, higher costs, more litigation, and fewer opportunities for workers and businesses alike.

Congress should reject this federal takeover of private-sector bargaining. Workers do not need politicians using “pro-worker” branding to deliver wins for union bosses. They need freedom, flexibility, and the right to negotiate, work, and prosper without being trapped in federally imposed labor contracts.

Club for Growth Foundation’s Congressional Scorecard for the 119th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to the public.