Norcross forces House passage of collective bargaining protections
Legislation would be biggest advancement in workers’ rights since 1930s

June 9, 2026: Congressman Norcross delivers remarks on House floor while forcing vote on his collective bargaining bill. Click here for a transcript of his speech as prepared.

WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Donald Norcross’ (NJ-01) Faster Labor Contracts Act (FLCA) in a bipartisan 220-193 vote. The bill, which would be the single biggest advancement in workers’ rights in nearly a century, came to the floor after Norcross successfully forced a vote over the objections of House Republican leadership.

Because there are no deadlines for an employer to agree to a contract with a new union, it takes an average of 458 days for that first contract to be finalized. Likewise, roughly a third of workers are forced to wait more than three years for a contract after voting to unionize. The FLCA would speed up that process by giving both parties options to seek third party remediation after set periods of time – including the choice to have a three-person arbitration panel render a first contract.

“The biggest loophole in labor law is how the richest executives in human history can simply run out the clock on their workers’ first union contract – denying their employees their fundamental collective bargaining rights. That dirty tactic is selfish, it’s immoral, and today's vote also puts it one step closer to being a relic of history,” Norcross said. “Unions represent workers of all political stripes, and today's resounding bipartisan vote should clearly demonstrate the collective power of workers’ voices. Solidarity forever, and it’s time to get this bill over the finish line.”

Before passage of the FLCA this evening, Norcross needed to win the majority support of the House this afternoon to force a vote on the bill through the use of a discharge petition. This process was necessary since House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the FLCA to the floor, despite the bill having enough bipartisan support to pass. Historically, only a small fraction of discharge petitions have achieved majority support; Norcross’ coalition of 218 supporters included 211 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

“Once again, House Democrats are governing in the minority as if we’re in the majority and successfully forced a vote on legislation to make life better for the American people. The Faster Labor Contracts Act has passed the House of Representatives, strengthening worker protections and compelling employers to come to the table,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “At a time when the right to organize is under assault, it is unacceptable that when hardworking Americans come together to form a workplace union, employers can stifle that progress by refusing to bargain. I thank Congressman Norcross for his leadership and for standing up for working families across the country.”

“The Faster Labor Contracts Act is the most consequential labor bill to come before Congress in decades. Its bipartisan passage out of the House of Representatives is a significant milestone for millions of American workers,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “The 1.3-million member Teamsters Union has worked tirelessly to build a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are committed to improving the lives of working people. Millions of workers at Amazon and other major companies who are fed up with being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued are organizing their unions today in record numbers. We can no longer tolerate a broken system that allows corporations to corruptly drag out negotiations and shirk their legal obligations to bargain fair first union contracts. The FLCA has a real shot to right generations of wrongs and level the playing field for workers. The Teamsters are eager for the Senate to take up this urgent legislation and ensure it lands on the President’s desk.”

“For the second time this Congress a bill to restore or strengthen collective bargaining rights has been forced to the House floor by a working majority and passed with a bipartisan vote. The reason is simple: The country is hungry for pro-worker labor law reform,” said Jody Calemine, Advocacy Director of the AFL-CIO. “This bill is an important first step toward passing the PRO Act. It underscores a basic truth: it’s better in a union. More collective bargaining means higher wages, more access to affordable health care, a secure retirement, and a way for working people to take control over their lives and finally get ahead. Let working people organize and exercise their bargaining power, and the economy will start working for them, not just the billionaires.”

The FLCA is endorsed by more than twenty unions and advocates for workers’ rights. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has introduced companion bipartisan legislation in the Senate.

Norcross, the only union electrician serving in Congress, is a co-chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus and a lifelong champion for workers’ rights. Last week he successfully passed out of the Armed Services Committee a provision in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to overturn President Trump’s executive order stripping Defense Department employees’ collective bargaining rights – a measure he also passed out of the House last year. He was also an original cosponsor of the House-passed Protecting America’s Workforce Act, and has previously helped pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in the House.

Full text of Norcross’ bill can be found here, while a one-pager can be found here.