Posts tagged Mike Lawler
These Republicans keep undermining Trump. This week proves it
June 11, 2026 // Specifically, the Faster Labor Contracts Act would empower a federal agency that Trump has called to eliminate. It could then impose a collective bargaining agreement on workers if the union and employer don’t reach an agreement within three months. But the workers wouldn’t even get a vote, fundamentally gutting workplace democracy. As Trump’s administration said in 2020, “Involuntary contracts that do not work for employees or their employers could force layoffs or even bankruptcies — ultimately, harming workers.” This bill is one of the Democrats’ top priorities. It should never be a priority for any Republican. Several of these Republicans pulled a similar stunt in January, when they killed House leadership’s plan to vote on the Save Local Business Act. The bill would have prevented a heavy-handed mandate from the Obama and Biden years that put many franchises, subcontractors, and small businesses at risk of layoffs or even closure. Yet LaLota said that he and his colleagues would only support a watered-down version. Trump has proposed a regulation that’s similar in intent to the legislation that was killed, yet by refusing to support the bill, these Republicans are all but ensuring that a future Democrat president will overturn this necessary reform.
Republicans’ Latest Pro-Union Move Has Some Conservatives Sounding The Alarm
June 4, 2026 // Vinnie Vernuccio, the president of the Institute for the American Worker, also said that it would give “unprecedented power” to federal bureaucrats. He said that his organization was “proud to stand for union democracy by joining the larger coalition and sounding the alarm on this harmful legislation.” The Senate version of the proposal was introduced by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and also supported by Republican Senators Roger Marshall (Kansas) and Bernie Moreno (Ohio) and 12 other Democrats.
GOP’s populists flex muscles with wins on Capitol Hill
May 29, 2026 // F. Vincent Vernuccio, president of the Institute for the American Worker think tank, which has argued against the bill, pointed to hesitation that one union official expressed about that format in a Senate hearing last year, calling it undemocratic. “It takes away the whole point of a union because it takes away the vote from workers, and that’s exactly what the Faster Labor Contracts Act would do,” Vernuccio told The Hill. “If the union and the employer can’t come to an agreement within 120 days, this arbitration panel that’s appointed by government bureaucrats would write everything in that contract.”
Op-ed: The New Big Labor GOP
May 26, 2026 // The FLCA is a plank in the Big Labor PRO Act that failed to pass Congress in the Biden years. The bill is now likely to pass the House. The GOP Senate could kill it, but Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) is sponsoring the corresponding legislation there. The pro-union Republicans fancy themselves as tribunes for the common man, but they’re really rubber stamps for labor bosses who are allies of the Democratic Party.
Why Are Republicans Looking To Pass Obama-Era Forced Unionization Bill?
May 20, 2026 // Instead of contract bargaining, there would be “binding arbitration.” For 90 days, unions and employers would come to the table as normal and work toward an agreement. After that, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service could be called in to “mediate” the talks for an additional 30 days. If no agreement was reached, the agency gained the power to convene an arbitration panel that would write up a contract that bound both the union and the employer for two years. EFCA made unionization faster, but only by taking away checks that workers and employers had on union bosses. Today, unions are still pushing for the “binding arbitration” half of EFCA. It’s on the smorgasbord of provisions in the so-called PRO Act, a union-backed bill supported by all but a few congressional Democrats, and it’s central to the Faster Labor Contracts Act.
Opinion GOP’s fatal attraction to unions is the start of a bad romance
April 21, 2026 // Instead of offering flowers and chocolates, they aim to impress labor by slicing up the PRO Act and feeding it piecemeal to the rest of the GOP. The Faster Labor Contracts Act, sponsored by Hawley and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), is the first portion. It would allow federal mediators to essentially write union contracts for newly organized workplaces, if businesses and unions can’t agree on terms within four months of a union’s workplace-election win.
13 Republicans Vote to Nullify Donald Trump’s Executive Order
December 11, 2025 // Democratic Representative Jared Golden, who led the bill, forced a vote on it by using a mechanism known as a discharge petition. The Congressional procedure means lawmakers can force a vote on a piece of legislation against the wishes of the leadership on the condition that it has majority support in the House.
Unions back amendment to shield Pentagon employees
November 24, 2025 // Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) is pushing to include Section 1110 in the National Defense Authorization Act, which would reinstate bargaining rights for the department’s civilian staff, countering President Donald Trump’s March and August executive orders. The measure has drawn enough GOP interest that more than a dozen House Republicans urged Armed Services committee leaders in both chambers to keep the language in the final bill. Unions including the American Federation of Government Employees have argued that the Trump administration’s actions leave the largest segment of the federal workforce without the ability to bargain. “It affects a huge workforce,” Daniel Horowitz, AFGE’s legislative director, told Shift. “It’s 250,000 bargaining-unit employees for us at the Defense Department, and other unions have thousands more. So it’s really important in terms of restoring collective bargaining.”
House majority forces vote on bill to restore collective bargaining for most federal employees
November 18, 2025 // Meanwhile, another bipartisan group of lawmakers is also leading a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights for VA employees. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) are leading that bill. The National Treasury Employees Union, as well as the National Weather Service Employees Organization and the Patent Office Professional Association, are also suing the Trump administration over its collective bargaining rollback. Federal courts in D.C. will hold proceedings in both cases next month.
Jeffries stalls effort to restore federal workers’ bargaining rights
November 18, 2025 // Jeffries stalls effort to restore federal workers’ bargaining rights Reps. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) were poised to sign a discharge petition to force a floor vote before the House minority leader stepped in. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Nov. 4, 2025. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Nov. 4. | Francis Chung/POLITICO By Lawrence Ukenye and Meredith Lee Hill 11/13/2025 01:10 PM EST Updated: 11/13/2025 03:43 PM EST House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ staff on Wednesday night blocked an effort to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a bipartisan bill that would restore collective bargaining rights for thousands of federal workers, according to four people granted anonymity to describe the sensitive matter. House leadership has stalled on scheduling a vote for the “Protect America’s Workforce Act” since it was introduced in April. Lawmakers have introduced a discharge petition that would allow the bill to immediately get a floor vote if 218 people sign on.