House Republicans Break Ranks to Support Dem-Led Pro-Union Bill

“If employees vote to unionize, management has to acknowledge and seek a fair agreement. Refusing to negotiate is not an option. A fair arbitrator is sometimes needed.”

Under the legislation, employers would be required to begin contract negotiations within 10 days of receiving a written request for collective bargaining from a worker or labor organization, Time reported.

The measure also establishes additional deadlines and procedures designed to keep negotiations moving forward, preventing workers from being left indefinitely waiting for a contract agreement.

Nelson Lichtenstein, a research professor of U.S. labor history at University of California, Santa Barbara, told the outlet: “There’s a realization out there, which transcends the labor movement, transcends even liberalism, that this (current) system is really broken, and corporations are taking advantage of it.”

GOP critics of the legislation, however, voiced concerns about federal government overreach and that it could harm worker’s rights and the job market.

Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan (R), chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, sharply criticized the bill on the floor. He argued it takes power away from the workers.

Walberg said the legislation “fast-tracks government intrusion into private workplaces, and it erodes workers’ rights.”

“Let’s call this bill what it really is, a massive expansion of Washington’s power over American workers and job creators,” he said.

“It is the latest attempt to put workers under the thumb of federal bureaucrats,” Walberg noted further.