By Aaron Flatter, Darke County Commissioner
Ohio’s economy is built by hardworking men and women who deserve fair treatment, real
opportunities, and policies that protect both employees and employers. Yet, Senator Josh
Hawley’s (R-MO) latest labor legislative framework is a misguided attempt to curry favor with union bosses at the expense of workers and small businesses. His plan mirrors failed legislative efforts from liberal senators like Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) under the so-called PRO Act. Hawley’s version could be called “PRO Act Lite,” as it revives job-killing policies that Congress, the courts, and even the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have repeatedly rejected.
Hawley has filed the first piece of legislation under this framework – something he calls the
Faster Labor Contracts Act. It’s nothing short of an invitation to insert the federal government into private contract negotiations. His bill mandates that employers and unions begin bargaining within 10 days of a union election and finalize an agreement within months. If negotiations aren’t completed quickly enough, federal intervention could dictate wages and working conditions, leaving employees locked into long-term contracts they never approved.
Senator Hawley should remember that Ohioans, and the majority of Americans, voted for
President Donald Trump to improve the lives of American workers. This bill does the opposite.
What makes matters worse is that Ohio’s Senator Bernie Moreno signed onto this bill as a
cosponsor – a brutal betrayal of the working women and men who supported him. He ought to distance himself from this bad bill immediately. Thankfully, Senator Jon Husted had the wisdom not to sign on to this anti-worker legislation.
Hawley’s framework contains other troubling provisions. Take, for example, the push for “ambush elections,” under which unionization votes would have to occur within 20 business days—a rushed timeframe that puts small businesses at a severe disadvantage and deprives workers of the opportunity to hear both sides. Rushing elections undermines informed decision-making and fairness.
Another alarming provision would muzzle employers by banning mandatory meetings where they can share their stance on unionization. While unions would retain unrestricted access to workers, even at home and on personal time, employers would face limits on their discussions with them during paid work hours about the potential downsides of union membership.
Meetings could only be optional, which would open workers up to all manner of intimidation to not to attend, and harassment if they chose to attend. This blatant attack on free speech
disregards decades of legal precedent, including Supreme Court rulings affirming employers’ rights to communicate with their employees.
To make matters worse, Hawley’s framework introduces severe penalties for employers accused of unfair labor practices while failing to hold unions to the same standard. Smaller businesses, in particular, would struggle to survive under such a one-sided regulatory regime.
Ohio’s employers and workers neither need nor want Senator Hawley’s job-killing, anti-worker proposals. If we want to safeguard Ohio’s economic future, we cannot allow failed union-driven policies to take hold in Congress.
Now, more than ever, Ohioans need to stand with workers, not union bosses, and oppose this deeply flawed legislative initiative before it causes lasting damage to our economy.
Aaron Flatter is currently serving his first term as Darke County Commissioner and works as a Business Development Manager for Garber Electric.
