WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Tuesday that would speed up union contract talks, a change that could reach the many Ohio companies that don't use union labor.
The Faster Labor Contracts Act passed 230-193. Twenty Republicans joined every voting Democrat to push it through. Backers used a special move called a discharge petition to force the vote and get around House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
The bill would change federal labor law. Right now, a company can take months or even years to reach its first contract after its workers vote to form a union. Under the bill, the company would have to start talks within 10 days. If there's no deal in 90 days, a federal mediator steps in. If that fails, a three-person panel could write the contract for them. Both sides would be stuck with it for two years, with no appeal.
That matters in Ohio, where most building workers are not in a union. Across the country, about 89% of construction workers are nonunion, and Ohio looks much the same. Those are the firms the bill would touch the most. Owners say it could force pay and benefit levels they can't afford, and that could cost jobs.
"This would threaten jobs, kill growth and in some cases, shut businesses down entirely," said Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who leads the House labor committee.
Supporters say the bill simply stops companies from stalling. "Right now, employers can delay negotiations on first contracts for years," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J.
Ohio is close to this fight. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is a co-sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. The state's other senator, Jon Husted, R-Ohio, has not signed on, but he has drawn union support back home. Two Ohio Republicans backed the bill in the House. Rep. Max Miller voted for it, and Rep. Michael Rulli was a co-sponsor.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future is unclear. If it becomes law, the change would land first on Ohio's nonunion job sites and on the workers they employ.