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Trucking groups challenge bill that expands labor arbitration
ATA is among the organizations opposing the legislation
ATA President Chris Spear characterized the bill as government-mandated contracting instead of collective bargaining. (jetcityimage/Getty Images)
Key Takeaways:
- The bill would require binding arbitration if a first labor contract is not reached after 90 days of bargaining and 30 days of mediation.
- American Trucking Associations and several business groups oppose the measure, while major labor unions support it.
- The legislation passed the House on a 230-193 vote and moved to the Senate on June 10.
Trucking industry stakeholders are warning that the Faster Labor Contracts Act would reshape negotiations after the bill recently cleared the House and moved to the Senate.
The bill mandates binding arbitration for parties in a labor contract that fail to reach a first agreement after 90 days of bargaining and 30 days of mediation.
A three-member arbitration panel would form and consist of a neutral member agreed to by both sides as well as one each for labor and management. If either side fails to select their member in 14 days, federal mediators could make the appointment. Arbitrators could impose a binding two-year contract if parties cannot reach an agreement. An arbitration majority decision could only be amended if both parties agree in writing to changes.
Sponsored by union member and electrician Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), HR 5408 is succeeding compared with an identical Senate version backed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that has been inactive since March 2025.
On June 10, the bill moved to the Senate after passing in the House a day earlier on a 230-193 vote. It had picked up 110 cosponsors, 93 Democrats and 17 Republicans.
Blue state sponsors
Democratic states with the most sponsors:
- California 15
- New York 13
- Michigan 7
- Illinois and Pennsylvania (6 each)
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) opposed the legislation, testifying in June the bill “fast-tracks government intrusion into private workplaces and it erodes workers’ rights faster than we have ever seen before.”
Representing American Trucking Associations as president, Chris Spear described the bill as government-mandated contracting instead of collective bargaining. He said if passed, the changes would eliminate employees from voting to approve an arbitration-imposed contract.
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Spear
“America’s trucking industry believes in work. We believe in bargaining in good faith. We believe in employees having a real voice. And we believe private contracts should be negotiated by the parties who must live with them and not dictated by unelected arbitrators with no stake in the outcome,” Spear said. “A three-person arbitration panel cannot possibly understand every company, every terminal, every lane, every customer commitment and every operational reality better than the people who actually do the work.”
He encouraged union leaders to earn members rather than demand Congress rewrite 90-year-old labor laws “because their sales pitch has failed.”
Other groups opposing the legislation are the National Retail Federation, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Tax Reform.
“There are no limits on the scope of topics the arbitration panel can impose as part of the contract,” said Rodney Davis, chamber government affairs senior vice president. “Given that under the FLCA a federal political appointee has the authority to pick an arbiter when the employer and union cannot agree, there is significant risk that politically motivated requirements will be imposed on employees and employers.”
Norcross praised his bill’s passage.
Before my Faster Labor Contracts Act passed the House, I had critics tell me that "the system works fine." Maybe it does for billionaires like Jeff Bezos.
But does anyone really think our workers deserve to wait years for a fair contract? pic.twitter.com/23ht5xMpQU — Congressman Donald Norcross 🇺🇸 (@DonaldNorcross) June 30, 2026
“Newly unionized workers shouldn’t have to wait years for their first contract. I appreciate my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for coming together to take this enormous step — now let’s finish the job,” he said.
The AFL-CIO supported the proposed law to revamp “the nation’s broken labor laws.” It called the legislation “a private sector solution” for workers who choose to bargain collectively to receive good-faith bargaining from employers.
The United Steelworkers urged the Senate “to also swiftly pass this bill so workers can continue to improve their working conditions and exercise their rights on the job.”
Other supporters were the Teamsters union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
