The House on Tuesday approved a Democratic bill aiming to fast-track contract negotiations between employers and newly created unions, after 20 Republicans defied their leaders to force it to the floor and push it to passage.
The measure, which passed on a 230-to-193 vote, faces a slim chance in the Senate and would be all but certain to be vetoed by President Trump even if it were to reach his desk. Still, the vote was the latest reflection of Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak hold on his narrow majority, whose members have steered around him time and again and teamed with Democrats to win passage of legislation that he has toiled to block.
On Tuesday, a sizable bloc of Republicans, including several from competitive districts who are slogging through tough re-election fights, joined with Democrats to push through a pro-union bill. It would impose an initial 90-day deadline on contract negotiations for new unions and their employers, along with paths to mediation and arbitration if the parties reach an impasse.
Representative Donald Norcross, Democrat of New Jersey and the sponsor of the bill, said he had written it to speed up workplace contract negotiations so that employers could not drag them out in the hopes of undercutting workers’ leverage.
“Union busting is illegal, and it’s wrong and it has been for generations,” Mr. Norcross said. “But with the dirty tactics of indefinite delays, many employers are working relentlessly to kill their employees’ unions.”
