Latest / Commentary - TJ Meadows / Bill Mandating Binding Contract Arbitration Goes Too Far

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Bill Mandating Binding Contract Arbitration Goes Too Far · Commentary - TJ Meadows

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  Speaker 1: The US House of Representatives recently passed the Faster Labor
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  Speaker 1: Contracts Act. If you haven't heard about it, you're probably
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  Speaker 1: not alone. It hasn't generated much media attention. Here's what
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  Speaker 1: the bill does. If a newly certified union and an
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  Speaker 1: employer can't negotiate a first contract within about four months,
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  Speaker 1: binding arbitration kicks in. Instead of continued negotiations, A government
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  Speaker 1: selected arbitration panel would write a contract that's binding on
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  Speaker 1: both sides for two years. Twenty Republicans joined Democrats in
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  Speaker 1: the House in supporting the bill, including West Virginia Congressman
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  Speaker 1: Riley Moore. Congresswoman Carol Miller voted no. The Wall Street
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  Speaker 1: Journal editorial board raised a concern that caught my attention.
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  Speaker 1: It argued that because national labor organizations encourage local unions
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  Speaker 1: to seek provisions like abortion coverage and gender of firming
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  Speaker 1: care and health plans, arbitrators could potentially impose those provisions
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  Speaker 1: in first contracts. Whether that's a concern is up to you,
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  Speaker 1: but it's fair to say that those issues wouldn't likely
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  Speaker 1: be popular with many West Virginians. For me, though, the
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  Speaker 1: larger question is precedent. Republicans have long been viewed as
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  Speaker 1: the party of business. Legislation like this raises questions about
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  Speaker 1: whether that's still true. This isn't about opposing unions. Workers
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  Speaker 1: have every right to organize and employers should bargain in
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  Speaker 1: good faith. But this bill allows a government appointed panel,
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  Speaker 1: not the parties themselves, to dictate the terms of a
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  Speaker 1: private contract. Those arbitrators may have little understanding of the
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  Speaker 1: industry's economics, competitive pressures, or operating realities. Yet business owners, shareholders,
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  Speaker 1: those who have taken risk would be bound by the
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  Speaker 1: contract without any say so. Even workers would be bound
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  Speaker 1: by the contract without a final vote on the agreement.
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  Speaker 1: If those contracts prove economically unsustainable, businesses will do what
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  Speaker 1: businesses often do, hire or less automate, more invest elsewhere,
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  Speaker 1: or raise prices, all bad things. History is full of
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  Speaker 1: well intentioned government interventions that produce unintended consequences. This bill
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  Speaker 1: has the potential to be no different. As for Congressman
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  Speaker 1: Riley Moore's vote, I don't know his reasoning because I
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  Speaker 1: haven't had the opportunity to ask him. To his credit,
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  Speaker 1: he's always been willing to answer tough questions, and I
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  Speaker 1: have no doubt he's willing to explain his position on
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  Speaker 1: this issue if asked. The Senate now has the final say.
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  Speaker 1: It will decide whether this legislation strikes the right balance
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  Speaker 1: between protecting workers and preserving the flexibility the environment businesses
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  Speaker 1: need in order to succeed. To read the full commentary,
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  Speaker 1: visit the website wv metronews dot com