Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Labor Relations First Contract Negotiations Act. The National Labor Relations Act guarantees the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively to improve living standards and working conditions. The right to organize is a basic civil right, and unions are an avenue to equity, fair treatment, and economic stability for working people.
Free enterprise includes the freedom to organize as a unit to bargain collectively.
Often, current law hinders this ability. That is why I have introduced the Labor Relations First Contract Negotiations Act. This bill requires mediation and, if necessary, binding arbitration of initial contract negotiation disputes. Under this proposed bill, if an employer and a newly elected representative have not reached a collective bargaining agreement within 60 days of the representative's certification, the employer and the representative will jointly select a mediator to help them reach an agreement. If they cannot agree on a mediator, one will be appointed for them by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.