Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) Employees in the United States have a right to organize collectively in order to secure higher wages and other benefits, and regularly exercise that right by voting to be represented by a labor organization in their workplaces. (2) A successful vote in favor of representation by a labor organization does not immediately lead to an agreement between the parties. Often the negotiation process is difficult and protracted, taking a year or longer. (3) Research indicates that these contracting delays are increasing over time. A Bloomberg Law study from 2021 found that the average number of days between a vote in favor of representation by a labor organization and a contract entered into between the parties was 465 days. (4) Delays in the processing of collective bargaining contracts primarily benefit employers opposed to representation by the labor organization. The employers can use those delays to sap labor organization resolve and secure more favorable terms for the employer. (5) In order for employees in the United States to fully enjoy the benefits guaranteed to them by Federal labor law, those employees must be able to promptly secure a first contract following the legal recognition or certification of a labor organization, and Federal labor law ought to facilitate this expediency.

Congress finds the following: (1) Employees in the United States have a right to organize collectively in order to secure higher wages and other benefits, and regularly exercise that right by voting to be represented by a labor organization in their workplaces. (2) A successful vote in favor of representation by a labor organization does not immediately lead to an agreement between the parties. Often the negotiation process is difficult and protracted, taking a year or longer. (3) Research indicates that these contracting delays are increasing over time. A Bloomberg Law study from 2021 found that the average number of days between a vote in favor of representation by a labor organization and a contract entered into between the parties was 465 days. (4) Delays in the processing of collective bargaining contracts primarily benefit employers opposed to representation by the labor organization. The employers can use those delays to sap labor organization resolve and secure more favorable terms for the employer. (5) In order for employees in the United States to fully enjoy the benefits guaranteed to them by Federal labor law, those employees must be able to promptly secure a first contract following the legal recognition or certification of a labor organization, and Federal labor law ought to facilitate this expediency.