[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 249]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN SUPPORT OF THE LABOR RELATIONS FIRST CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2003

  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Labor 
Relations First Contract Negotiations Act.
  The National Labor Relations Act guarantees the right of employees to 
organize and bargain collectively to improve living standards and 
working conditions. The right to organize is a basic civil right, and 
unions are an avenue to equity, fair treatment, and economic stability 
for working people. Free enterprise includes the freedom to organize as 
a unit to bargain collectively. Unfortunately, current law hinders this 
ability. To remedy this serious situation, I have introduced the Labor 
Relations First Contract Negotiations Act.
  My legislation requires mediation and, if necessary, binding 
arbitration of initial contract negotiation disputes. Under this 
proposed bill, if an employer and a newly elected representative have 
not reached a collective bargaining agreement within 60 days of the 
representative's certification, the employer and the representative 
will jointly select a mediator to help them reach an agreement. If they 
cannot agree on a mediator, one will be appointed for them by the 
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. In the event that the 
parties do not reach an agreement in 30 days, the remaining issues may 
be transferred to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for 
binding arbitration. Let us make sure that everyone has a fair 
opportunity to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this legislation.

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