Kirsten Gillibrand

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand stood alongside labor leaders and advocates on May 1 at the Teamsters Local 118 headquarters in Rochester to push for the passage of the Faster Labor Contracts Act.

The Faster Labor Contracts Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in 2025, is designed to accelerate first-contract negotiations between unions and employers.

The act would impose a 100-day time limit where negotiations must be done within 10 days of a union’s election, and the contract with management must be reached within 90 days.

If an agreement is not reached after 90 days, the dispute will be referred to mediation. If mediation fails after 30 days or additional periods agreed upon by both parties, the dispute will be referred to a three-person arbitration panel to secure an initial contract.

Gillibrand said she is proud to co-sponsor the Faster Labor Contracts Act, describing it as common sense legislation.

“On average it takes over a year for unions and employers to reach an agreement on that first contract; that’s disgraceful,” Gillibrand said. “It’s beyond time that this legislation is brought to a vote; the senate should take this up as soon as possible and I will be a strong yes.”

Tim Barbeto, president of Teamsters Local 118, advocated for the legislation as he supports local labor solidarity.

He recently led negotiations for a seven-year Wegmans contract in 2024 and rallied with Amazon workers for union recognition that same year.

Assemblymember Harry Bronson also supports the act and said it is vitally important as it forces management to come to the table to bargain in good faith and in a timely fashion.

“Right now what happens is they drag their feet, they bring lawsuit after lawsuit and ultimately what they’re trying to do is get to a point in time where, under federal law, they can call for another election and knock the union out; we can’t have that,” Bronson said.